Pfizer, Nvidia and Thermo Fisher have pitched in to help a machine learning firm amplify its AI approach, which could help biopharma companies better succeed in drug development.
CytoReason will use its new $80 million funding to build up more molecular and clinical data and to expand its computational models into new diseases. The company is looking beyond its current work in immunology, inflammation, immuno-oncology, metabolism and central nervous system diseases.
The Tel Aviv-based company also plans to set up an office in Cambridge, MA, later this year. Investing platform OurCrowd also participated in the financing.
According to CytoReason, its so-called computational disease models could help drugmakers make better “data-driven decisions” on R&D and increase the chances of clinical success. Its aim is to enhance the speed and accuracy of drug development across a range of therapeutic areas.
The company’s current client roster includes six of the world’s top 10 pharma players. One key collaborator is Pfizer, which started working with CytoReason in 2019 before expanding their partnership in 2022. The expanded deal is valued at $110 million and spans a number of therapeutic areas beyond the immunology and immuno-oncology focus of the original collaboration.
CytoReason also teamed up with Sanofi to identify inflammatory bowel disease patient subtypes and pair them with IBD targets. It also has a separate IBD collaboration with Ferring Pharmaceuticals focused on developing “cell-centered” disease models. Elsewhere, it’s working with Merck KGaA on immuno-oncology.