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SK Biopharmaceuticals Partners with PhnyX Lab to Deploy AI-Powered Drug Development Platform

AI
  • SK Biopharmaceuticals signed a strategic agreement with AI startup PhnyX Lab to establish an AI-powered drug development framework using the Cheiron generative AI platform.
  • The collaboration will automate key processes including literature searches, data analysis, and regulatory documentation for clinical trial initiation to reduce development time and costs.
  • The partnership represents what SK Biopharmaceuticals calls a "full-scale AI transformation" of its drug development workflow, building on its existing Huble AI platform.
  • Cheiron integrates with official regulatory databases from the FDA and Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to deliver high accuracy in pharmaceutical operations.

NEC and Chugai Pharmaceutical Develop AI System to Accelerate Cancer Drug Combination Discovery

AIDrug Discovery
  • NEC Corporation and Chugai Pharmaceutical have successfully tested an AI system that can predict effective cancer drug combinations, potentially reducing prediction time by approximately 50% compared to conventional methods.
  • The graph-based AI technology leverages biochemical information and clinical trial data from AACT and ChEMBL databases to quickly suggest candidate drug combinations that could enhance cancer treatment efficacy.
  • In experimental validation using approximately 400 cancer drug combinations, the system demonstrated accurate predictions with highly convincing rationales, showing potential to streamline drug discovery processes.
  • The technology addresses the time-consuming manual research traditionally required for drug combination therapy development, which involves analyzing vast amounts of publications and clinical trial data.

Castle Biosciences and SciBase Partner to Develop AI-Powered Atopic Dermatitis Flare Prediction Test

AI
  • Castle Biosciences and SciBase have signed a collaboration agreement to develop a diagnostic test that predicts flares in atopic dermatitis patients using SciBase's AI-powered Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy technology.
  • The partnership targets up to 24 million atopic dermatitis patients in the United States who experience flares despite maintenance treatment, aiming to enable pre-symptomatic intervention.
  • Castle Biosciences will invest approximately $19 million in SciBase shares and receive North American territory rights, while SciBase retains EU and other international markets.
  • The collaboration leverages Castle's existing dermatology portfolio and commercial infrastructure to expand diagnostic solutions for skin barrier dysfunction affecting over 500 million people globally.

Quilt Health Secures $6M Seed Funding to Modernize Clinical Trial Access for Complex Diseases

AIRare Disease
  • Quilt Health, a digital health company focused on bridging treatment access gaps for complex diseases, successfully closed a $6 million seed funding round, bringing total funding to $8 million.
  • The company addresses critical clinical trial recruitment challenges, with more than 70% of trials failing to meet enrollment thresholds, particularly in rare disease research where patient pools are small and hard to reach.
  • Quilt Health's AI-powered platform integrates multiple data sources to surface key patient characteristics and outcomes, supporting clinical workflows and improving trial efficiency for pharmaceutical sponsors, research sites, and patients.
  • The company recently partnered with the National Alliance of Sickle Cell Centers (NASCC), providing access to a national network of more than 115 sickle cell centers to combine research and patient care.

Agenus Partners with Noetik to Develop AI-Powered Biomarkers for Precision Immunotherapy

AIPrecision MedicineMonoclonal Antibody
  • Agenus and Noetik announced a research collaboration to develop predictive biomarkers for the BOT/BAL immunotherapy combination using AI-powered virtual cell models.
  • The partnership leverages Noetik's OCTO foundation model, trained on data from nearly 200 million tumor and immune cells across thousands of patients with various cancer types.
  • The collaboration aims to identify which patients are most likely to respond to botensilimab and balstilimab treatment, potentially improving clinical trial outcomes and patient care.
  • Botensilimab has been evaluated in over 1,200 patients across nine tumor types and has shown responses even in immunotherapy-resistant "cold" tumors.

Qureight's AI-Powered Synthetic Control Arms Validate Efficacy of Avalyn's Inhaled Pirfenidone for Rare Lung Disease

AIRare Disease
  • Qureight achieved a world-first breakthrough by using AI-powered synthetic control arms to replace human placebo groups in lung disease research, demonstrating significant clinical efficacy for Avalyn's inhaled pirfenidone (AP01) in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
  • The innovative approach generated over 10,000 randomly sampled control groups from real-world IPF patient data, with results showing statistically significant reduction in lung capacity decline over 48 weeks compared to the 100mg AP01 dose.
  • This groundbreaking methodology addresses critical ethical and practical challenges in rare disease trials by reducing study costs, duration, and the need for placebo assignments in high-mortality conditions like IPF.
  • The technology leverages deep-learning analytics and quantitative image analysis to create digitally-twinned synthetic controls that more closely match treated patients' baseline disease states than traditional randomized placebo comparisons.

Isomorphic Labs Appoints Dr. Ben Wolf as Chief Medical Officer, Establishes US Operations

AIDrug Discovery
  • Isomorphic Labs, the AI-first drug discovery company, has appointed Dr. Ben Wolf as Chief Medical Officer to lead translation of AI-driven discoveries into clinical medicines.
  • Dr. Wolf brings nearly 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience, including expertise in precision oncology and advancing therapeutics from discovery through regulatory approval.
  • The company has established a new US presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, following a $600 million external investment round earlier this year.
  • The appointment positions Isomorphic Labs to advance its AI drug design engine across multiple therapeutic areas and drug modalities into clinical development.

VSA Announces Acquisition of AI Clinical Development Company HopeAI to Transform Drug Development Timelines

AI
  • TCTM Kids IT Education Inc. (VSA) has signed a letter of intent to acquire HopeAI, an AI company specializing in clinical trial optimization that has helped pharmaceutical partners reduce development timelines by up to 2.5 years.
  • HopeAI's proprietary platforms have demonstrated significant impact by reducing Phase 3 trial sample sizes by up to 20% and enabling 24-hour responses to FDA feedback through AI-powered clinical development solutions.
  • The acquisition addresses a critical industry need, as pharmaceutical companies spent over $200 billion on clinical development in 2024 alone, with average development cycles taking 9 years.

Hera Biotech Acquires HeraFem Point-of-Care Cervical Cancer Diagnostic with 91% Sensitivity

AI
  • Hera Biotech has acquired HeraFem, a point-of-care cervical cancer diagnostic device that achieves 91% sensitivity for detecting CIN2+ lesions using electrical and optical spectroscopy with AI algorithms.
  • The acquisition expands Hera Biotech's platform beyond endometriosis to address cervical cancer, which causes approximately 350,000 global annual deaths with 94% occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
  • HeraFem eliminates the need for sample collection and provides immediate, same-visit diagnosis, addressing limitations of traditional Pap tests that have 55-80% sensitivity for detecting high-grade lesions.
  • The company has secured distribution partners and pre-orders across Central and South America while pursuing U.S. regulatory pathways to scale commercialization globally.

Xlife Sciences Expands Asian Footprint Through Strategic Partnerships in Digital Health and Precision Oncology

AI
  • Xlife Sciences AG has signed strategic partnerships with Korean companies Huraypositive Corp. and OncoMASTER Inc. to accelerate digital health and precision oncology innovation across Asia.
  • The collaboration leverages OncoMASTER's AI-powered platform built on clinical data from over 10,000 advanced cancer patients, representing the largest such dataset in Asia.
  • The partnership aims to bridge academic innovation with clinical translation while enabling Korean companies to access European commercialization opportunities through Xlife Sciences' network.
  • This marks a significant expansion of Xlife Sciences' international presence, focusing on personalized healthcare solutions and AI-driven cancer treatment prediction technologies.

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