Pharma giant Merck expands collaboration with Quris-AI
Pharma giant Merck expands collaboration with Quris-AI
This follows the successful initial collaboration, a preclinical study to assess Quris-AI’s ability to predict drug toxicity in comparison to traditional in vitro and in vivo approaches
Israeli startup Quris-AI, which develops artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the pharmaceutical arena, announced on Thursday the extension of its collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company. This follows the successful initial collaboration, a preclinical study to assess Quris-AI’s ability to predict drug toxicity in comparison to traditional in vitro and in vivo approaches.
Merck will now further leverage Quris-AI platform’s ability to effectively identify liver toxicity risks in a selection of drug candidates. Subsequently, Merck has the option to obtain up to a five-year exclusive license to a specific disease domain. Upon Merck exercising the option, Quris-AI may receive a substantial amount. The companies did not reveal the amount, but it is estimated at tens of millions of dollars.
Quris, founded by serial entrepreneurs CEO Isaac Bentwich and CTO Yossi Haran, completed a $37 million Seed round in December 2022. It secured an additional $9 million in Seed funding at the time led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, alongside existing private and institutional investors such as GlenRock Capital, iAngels, Welltech Ventures and Richter Group.
“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,” said Danny Bar-Zohar, Global Head of Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer for the Healthcare business sector of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “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 demonstrated that Quris-AI’s platform could accurately predict which drug caused drug induced liver injury. The Quris-AI BioAI platform (29 granted and pending patents) dramatically accelerates and cuts costs of drug development, and avoids the potentially disastrous pitfalls of traditional animal testing.
“The majority of drug candidates still fail once they reach clinical testing. Technology advances are fueling a much-needed transformation in drug development," said Dr. Isaac Bentwich, CEO of Quris-AI. "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.”
