The companies will aim to select targets, discover and develop new therapeutics Owkin and Evotec have entered into an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered strategic partnership in oncology, immunology and inflammation (I&I). Both companies will collaborate to accurately select targets, discover and develop new therapeutics. As part of the agreement, the French-American techbio company, Owkin, will identify indication-relevant targets and subgroups using AI applied to multimodel patient data with its cutting-edge target discovery engine. Evotec will utilise its shared research and development (R&D) platform to accelerate and de-risk the validation of targets, the identification of drug candidates and the successful completion of pre-clinical development activities up to an investigational new drug application (IND). In addition, an Owkin-Evotec joint research strategy team will steer the collaboration to design fully tailored strategic programme plans from target selection to IND, as well as ensuring the delivery of the programmes. Evotec will receive R&D funding from ...
A novel artificial intelligence (AI) tool, designed to interpret medical images with exceptional clarity, is set to revolutionize the way clinicians approach disease diagnosis and image analysis. This advanced tool, named iStar (Inferring Super-Resolution Tissue Architecture), was developed by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA, USA). It can assist healthcare professionals in diagnosing and treating cancers that might otherwise remain undetected. iStar offers an in-depth view of individual cells and a broader look at the full range of human gene activity, potentially revealing cancer cells that were nearly invisible earlier. This tool could play a crucial role in confirming whether cancer surgeries have fully removed malignancies and provide automatic annotations for microscopic images, marking a significant leap toward molecular-level disease diagnosis. One of the standout capabilities of iStar is its automatic identification of crucial anti-tumor immune formations known as “tertiary lymphoid structures,” ...
Goldman Sachs’s new fund—its first dedicated to life sciences—will focus on early- to mid-stage therapeutics companies with multiple assets. Genetic medicine, cell therapy, immunotherapy, and artificial intelligence are among the areas of investment interest for the firm. By FRANK VINLUAN Goldman Sachs Asset Management has expanded to biotech investments in recent years. The investment firm is now preparing to ramp up its investment activity in the sector with a new $650 million fund, its first dedicated to the life sciences. Goldman on Wednesday announced the final close of the new fund, called West Street Life Sciences I. About $90 million from this fund has already been committed to five biotech companies in its portfolio: MOMA Therapeutics, Nested Therapeutics, TORL Biotherapeutics, Septerna, and Rapport Therapeutics. With the new fund, Goldman said the focus will be on growth-oriented private equity investments in the life sciences, which it’s defining as early- to mid-stage ...
Patient tissue samples are commonly examined on slides by pathologists, a process integral to diagnosis. This traditional method, while effective, is notably time-intensive and subject to variability in interpretations among different pathologists. Moreover, some subtle details in pathology images might escape human observation but could hold critical insights into a patient’s health status. Over recent years, several artificial intelligence (AI) models have been developed to undertake certain tasks typically performed by pathologists, such as classifying cell types or gauging cellular interactions based on proximity. Nevertheless, these models have not fully captured the more intricate aspects of tissue image analysis that pathologists conduct, including recognizing complex cell spatial arrangements and filtering out irrelevant image ‘noise’ that could distort interpretations. Addressing this gap, researchers have now introduced an innovative AI model that is capable of examining the spatial organization of cells within tissue samples, offering precise predictions about cancer patient outcomes and ...
The excitement for artificial intelligence (AI) use cases in healthcare—especially those involving generative AI and ChatGPT—is palpable, with experts predicting generative AI could help unlock $1 trillion in healthcare savings. However the AI solution that holds the strongest potential to strengthen care outcomes and health equity isn’t the one healthcare leaders think of first. Instead, right-now value could come from extractive AI. It’s a tool that gives organizations the power to put even handwritten text sent via images or PDF by digital fax into a structured data play. It’s also a practical solution for advancing data interoperability without a heavy technology lift to include healthcare’s “digital have-nots,” like post-acute care facilities and health clinics. A powerful lever for improving health equity A healthcare organization’s ability to support total care, especially for our nation’s most vulnerable patient populations, depends on access to data that enables a 360-degree view of the patient’s ...
Detecting cancer in the body or monitoring it during therapy is typically a time-consuming process, often conducted in later phases when signs become obvious. Researchers engaged in cancer research are continuously seeking reliable and sensitive techniques to detect a developing tumor at a very early stage and to closely monitor the success or failure of cancer therapy. Therefore, a breakthrough in early cancer diagnosis is a significant advancement. Researchers have now achieved a breakthrough with the development of a test for early diagnosis of cancer. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Würenlingen, Switzerland) have demonstrated that changes in the organization of the cell nucleus of certain blood cells can reliably indicate the presence of a tumor in the body. Using fluorescence microscopy, the team examined the chromatin of these blood cells – DNA packaged into a complex structure. They analyzed about 200 different characteristics, including the external texture, the packing ...
To identify true growth opportunities, investors must consider how companies are using AI to revolutionize the treatment journey. Some companies are doing just that via Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), particularly by developing prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs). By DAVID B. KLEIN The excitement around artificial intelligence has been palpable for some time, dominating industry discussions and mobilizing capital for investment opportunities, but as of late, there’s been a change in the air. The optimism that reached a fever pitch in the first half of the year has dissipated. Now begins the hard work of sorting through what it all means. As the healthcare industry responds to the burgeoning opportunities AI presents, especially in developing new, more effective therapeutics and enabling access to treatment, it’s critical that investors prioritize proof over positivity. They must determine if a company’s AI strategy will lead to a high return on investment, or if ...
A recent study published in the ArXiv preprint* server discusses the optimization of large language models (LLMs) for accurate differential diagnosis (DDx). Background Accurate diagnosis is the first step in effective medical care. It has been perceived that artificial intelligence (AI)-based models can be used to assist clinicians for accurate diagnosis of a disease. The real-world diagnostic process involves an interactive and iterative process with rational reasoning about a DDx. A physician weighs different diagnostic possibilities based on varied clinical information procured from advanced diagnostic procedures. Deep learning has been applied to the generation of DDx in ophthalmology, dermatology, and radiology. Due to the absence of interactive capabilities, deep learning models cannot assist patients with diagnosis through fluent communication in their native language. This interactive shortcoming can be overcome with the development of LLMs, which can be used to design effective tools for DDx. LLMs are trained using a massive ...
AstraZeneca (AZ) and Absci have entered into a collaboration agreement worth up to $247m to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-designed antibody drug for a specified oncology target. The partnership will combine AZ’s capabilities in oncology research and development with Absci’s Integrated Drug Creation platform, which the generative AI company says “unlocks the potential to accelerate time to clinic and increase the probability of success by simultaneously optimising multiple drug characteristics important to both development and therapeutic benefit”. The agreement includes an upfront commitment from AZ as well as research and development funding, milestone payments and royalties on product sales. Puja Sapra, senior vice president of biologics engineering and oncology targeted delivery at AZ, said: “This collaboration is an exciting opportunity to utilise Absci’s de novo AI antibody creation platform to design a potential new antibody therapy in oncology.” Absci outlines that its approach “overcomes the limits of traditional drug discovery”. ...
Boehringer Ingelheim and IBM have announced a partnership aimed at advancing generative artificial intelligence (AI) and foundation models for therapeutic antibody development. The collaboration agreement will see Boehringer use an IBM-developed, pre-trained AI model that will be “further fine-tuned” on the German drugmaker’s specific proprietary data to help accelerate the pace at which it can create new antibody therapeutics. The companies noted that, despite “major” technological advances, the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies against diverse targets remains a “highly complex and time-consuming process”. IBM’s foundation model technologies, which have already shown success in generating biologics and small molecules with relevant target affinities, are used to design antibody candidates for specific disease targets. These are then screened with AI-enhanced simulation to select and refine the best binders for the target. Boehringer Ingelheim outlined that it will produce small quantities of the candidates that can be tested experimentally. Andrew Nixon, global ...
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