Friday, September 29, 2023
Quris-AI, an innovative player in the pharmaceutical industry powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has announced the expansion of its collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a prominent science and technology company. This development follows a successful initial partnership involving a preclinical study aimed at evaluating Quris-AI's ability to predict drug toxicity compared to conventional in vitro and in vivo methods.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, will now leverage the Quris-AI platform further to identify potential liver toxicity risks associated with specific drug candidates. As part of this extended collaboration, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has the option to secure an exclusive license for a specific disease domain, which could extend for up to five years. The financial details of this arrangement remain undisclosed.
Danny Bar-Zohar, Global Head of Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer for the Healthcare business sector at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, expressed optimism about the collaboration's potential impact, stating, "Based on the results of our initial collaboration, we are looking forward to exploring how its BioAI platform can advance our drug development and testing programs, and working towards an AI-enabled IND process that reduces the reliance on animal testing. If we could better focus on developing safe and effective drug candidates, we would be able to reduce significant time and cost investments."
The preclinical pilot study highlighted the accuracy of Quris-AI's platform in predicting drug-induced liver injury. The Quris-AI BioAI platform, which boasts 29 granted and pending patents, excels in ensuring drug safety through its advanced machine learning and generative AI models. These models are trained on Quris-AI's highly predictive proprietary data, generated from its innovative AI-based patient-on-chip platform. This approach significantly accelerates drug development timelines, reduces costs, and avoids the potential pitfalls associated with traditional animal testing.
Dr. Isaac Bentwich, CEO of Quris-AI, emphasized the transformative potential of technology in drug development, saying, "The majority of drug candidates still fail once they reach clinical testing. Technology advances are fueling a much-needed transformation in drug development. Accurately predicting the safety of novel drugs will significantly increase the speed of drug innovation and time to market, while substantially reducing risks and associated costs. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, as we continue to advance the field of pharmaceutical research."
For a deeper understanding of how Quris-AI is revolutionizing drug development, you can watch a recent NYSE-TV interview or refer to Quris-AI's inaugural Impact Review (ESG/SDG) for comprehensive insights into the company's global contributions.
