Owkin has partnered with AstraZeneca to develop an AI gBRCA pre-screen solution for breast cancer.
Takeaway Points
- Owkin has partnered with AstraZeneca to develop an AI gBRCA pre-screen solution for breast cancer.
- BRCA testing, which identifies mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, plays an important role in determining an individual’s risk for developing certain cancers.
Why did Owkin partner with AstraZeneca?
Owkin, the first end-to-end AI-biotech that uses cutting-edge causal AI to unlock precision drug discovery, development, and diagnostics, On Wednesday, AstraZeneca announced it has partnered with AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company, to develop an AI-powered tool to pre-screen for gBRCA mutations (gBRCAm) in breast cancer directly from digitized pathology slides. As part of Owkin’s ongoing collaboration with Gustave Roussy and The Centre Léon Bérard through PortrAIt, a French consortium to accelerate precision medicine through AI-enabled digital pathology, this tool aims to significantly accelerate and expand access to gBRCA testing that too many patients may not be considered for.
Thomas Clozel, MD, CEO of Owkin, said, “We are excited to collaborate with AstraZeneca to bring the benefits of AI to BRCA testing with the gBRCA Pre-Screen solution. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s especially important to highlight how by streamlining the diagnostic process for determining BRCA mutation status, we can expand access to BRCA testing and identify more gBRCAm patients more rapidly. Our goal is to generate the best possible medical evidence through multiple clinical studies, making genetic testing more accessible and precise, and therefore reduce the inequity of care by allowing more patients to benefit from tailored care.”
Kristina Rodnikova, Head of Global Commercial Diagnostics, Oncology at AstraZeneca, said, “On average, a woman with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation has up to a 7 in 10 chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer by age 80. This collaboration with Owkin underscores our commitment to advancing precision medicine, helping address the unmet need and identifying patients at risk of harboring BRCA mutations to improve their outcomes.”
About BRCA
BRCA testing, which identifies mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, plays an important role in determining an individual’s risk for developing certain cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers. Knowing the BRCA status of breast cancer patients is important to help identify familial risk and guide treatment options, including responses to targeted therapies, the company said.
About PortrAIt
PortrAIt is a landmark French government-endorsed program to structure and scale the digital pathology ecosystem in France to augment and improve the diagnosis of cancer. The consortium brings together six partners from the public and private sectors. PortrAIt will enable pathology labs and research hospitals to work with technology pioneers to develop and deploy AI tools for digital pathology.
PortrAIt project was financed by the government within the framework of France 2030 and by the European Union – Next Generation EU within the framework of the France Relance Plan.
About Owkin
Owkin is the first full-stack TechBio company on a mission to understand complex biology and derive new multimodal biomarkers through AI. We identify precision therapeutics, de-risk and accelerate clinical trials and develop diagnostics using AI trained on world-class patient data through privacy-enhancing technologies. We merge wet lab experiments with advanced AI techniques to create a powerful feedback loop for accelerated discovery and innovation in oncology, cardiovascular, immunity and inflammation.
Owkin also founded MOSAIC, the world’s largest spatial multi-omics atlas for cancer research across seven cancer indications.
Owkin has raised over $300 million through investments from leading biopharma companies, including Sanofi and BMS, and venture funds like F-Prime, GV and Bpifrance, among others.
