Owkin, a biotech powerhouse blending French finesse with American innovation, has struck a collaboration chord with MSD, also known as Merck & Co. Inc. This duo aims to revolutionize the European market with AI-fueled digital pathology diagnostics for the realm of drug development and diagnostics.
In the oncology domain, the MSI-H tumour phenotype has emerged as a pivotal marker, holding promise in prognosis and therapy, especially with the upsurge in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies. Its significance spans various cancer types, earning it international acclaim within consensus guidelines.
Meriem Sefta, Owkin’s chief diagnostics officer, highlighted the alliance’s essence, stressing their mission to transform patient diagnosis and treatment. The intent is clear: streamline diagnostics with AI precision, alleviating bottlenecks while amplifying biomarker testing to tailor optimal treatments for patients.
This collaboration zeroes in on creating a preliminary screening process to elevate MSI-H testing rates in less-screened cancers like endometrial, gastric, small intestinal, and biliary cancers. These cancers typically witness low MSI-H prevalence, lacking routine screening protocols. Initially, the collaboration will unfold its wings within the European Union.
Scott K. Pruitt, from MSD Research Laboratories, underscored the colossal potential of AI tech in patient screening and disease diagnosis. The anticipation of identifying more MSI-H cancer patients who might benefit from ICI therapy fuels their enthusiasm to team up with Owkin.
Owkin, with its CE-marked MSI digital pathology diagnostic for colorectal cancer, is now poised to extend its AI-driven MSI-H diagnostics into four additional cancer types. Leveraging a wealth of patient data from academic centres and hospitals, their goal is ambitious yet impactful.
The CE-marked AI diagnostic, MSIntuit CRC, stands as a beacon for optimizing microsatellite instability (MSI) testing, a critical marker in colorectal cancer. It aligns with global consensus guidelines, offering a beacon of hope for better CRC patient management and prognosis assessment.
MSIntuit CRC’s realm extends to pre-screening, employing machine learning on digitized pathology slides. Its aim? To assist pathologists and oncologists, facilitating easier access to immunotherapy for CRC patients while streamlining workload, turnaround time, and costs, and conserving tissue materials.
The vision for MSIntuit CRC extends beyond efficiency; it aspires to tackle inter-observer variability, promoting test reproducibility, thereby enhancing quality and streamlining critical diagnostics.
