Artificial intelligence (AI) startup Owkin is working with biotech company ADC Therapeutics to develop AI models to improve the treatment of hematologic cancers. The partnership will focus on using machine learning to identify biomarkers that could predict patient outcomes.

ADC Therapeutics works to improve the lives of those affected by cancer with its next-generation, targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The collaboration will enable researchers at ADC Therapeutics to develop targeted therapies that offer patients maximum benefit.

David Cahané, Chief Solutions Officer at Owkin, said:

Patrick van Berkel, PhD, Senior Vice President, Research & Development at ADC Therapeutics, said:

Owkin is a French-American startup that uses artificial intelligence to find the right treatment for every patient. Our focus is to use AI to discover and develop better treatments for unmet medical needs, starting with the fight against cancer.

We use AI to identify new drug candidates, de-risk and accelerate clinical trials and build diagnostic tools that improve patient outcomes. 

Using federated learning, a pioneering collaborative AI framework, Owkin enables medical and biopharma partners to unlock valuable insights from siloed datasets, while protecting patient privacy and securing proprietary data. 

Owkin was co-founded by Thomas Clozel MD, a clinical research doctor and former assistant professor in clinical onco-hematology, and Gilles Wainrib, a pioneer in the field of machine learning in biology, in 2016.

Owkin has raised over $255 million and became a ‘unicorn’ – a startup valued at more than $1 billion – through a $180 million investment from French biopharma company Sanofi in November 2021.

ADC Therapeutics (NYSE: ADCT) is a commercial-stage biotechnology company improving the lives of those affected by cancer with its next-generation, targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The Company is advancing its proprietary PBD-based ADC technology to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

ADC Therapeutics’ CD19-directed ADC ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) is approved by the FDA for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large b-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. ZYNLONTA is also in development in combination with other agents. Cami (camidanlumab tesirine) is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 trial for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and in a Phase 1b clinical trial for various advanced solid tumors. In addition to ZYNLONTA and Cami, ADC Therapeutics has multiple ADCs in ongoing clinical and preclinical development.

ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanne (Biopôle), Switzerland and has operations in London, the San Francisco Bay Area and New Jersey. For more information, please visit https://adctherapeutics.com/ and follow the Company on Twitter and LinkedIn.