Open Targets, launched in 2014, is an innovative, large-scale, public-private partnership between EMBL-EBI, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, Pfizer and Sanofi.

Open Targets uses human genetics and genomics data to improve how targets are identified and prioritised for drug discovery. The consortium combines the skills, knowledge and technologies of its partner organisations. Large-scale genomic experiments (Sanger Institute) and computational techniques (EMBL-EBI) developed in the public domain are blended with pharmaceutical R&D approaches to identify causal links between targets, pathways and diseases.

The experimental programme is a collaborative effort involving the industry partners. It is focussed on three core therapy areas and results feed into the informatics platform thereby increasing the richness of disease relevant data and improving drug target identification and prioritisation. All data, software and tools are shared with the scientific community.