Owkin, the pioneering AI-biotech unicorn specializing in AI-driven precision drug discovery, development, and diagnostics, has launched its expansion into the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). This expansion follows strategic partnerships with nine leading institutions in the region, including Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Universitätsspital Basel, Technische Universität München (TUM), Uniklinikum Erlangen, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, Inselspital Bern, Universitätsklinik Mannheim-Heidelberg, and Medizinische Universität Wien. These collaborations provide Owkin with unprecedented access to diverse patient populations, encompassing 24% of outpatient cases and 15% of total patients across the DACH region.
Guillaume Bézie, Director of Partnerships Western Europe, commented: “Our network in Western Europe, spanning France, Benelux, and DACH, represents Owkin’s largest pool of centers. Partnering with top academic institutions is integral to our expansion strategy, and we are excited to significantly broaden our footprint in the DACH region. By capturing the broad spectrum of human health, we empower our AI to better address individual patient needs. Together with our partners, we are committed to accelerating the secondary use of multimodal patient data to deliver personalized treatments.”
Through detailed analysis of extensive datasets from the nine hospitals, Owkin will leverage its AI engines and diagnostic tools to enhance outcomes for patients with Prostate Cancer, Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (MIBC), and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). This approach aims to uncover new biomarkers, predict treatment responses, and develop tailored therapies for each patient.
Under the BiomarkerPlus initiative, Owkin will collaborate with Inselspital Bern, Technische Universität München (TUM), and Universitätsspital Basel to analyze multimodal patient data, identifying early-stage prostate cancer patients at risk of treatment failure and progression to more severe disease, while anticipating alternative management strategies. In partnership with Uniklinikum Erlangen (UKER), Owkin will focus on MIBC by analyzing H&E slides to detect FGFR3 mutations.
Through TargetMatch, in collaboration with Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität and Medizinische Universität Wien, Owkin will utilize high-quality multimodal datasets to understand treatment responses and discover new targets and strategies for MIBC. The TrialPlus initiative, in partnership with Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, aims to optimize clinical trial designs for CVD using machine learning techniques.
Further enhancing its capabilities, Owkin will work closely with Uniklinikum Erlangen (UKER) to validate and improve its CE-IVD-approved MSI pre-screening tool MSIntuit® CRC V2 on diverse patient cohorts, under the AI Diagnostics (MSIntuit® CRC) program.
In addition to advancing research in prostate cancer, MIBC, and CVD, Owkin has expanded its MOSAIC network, a global initiative to build the largest spatial omics dataset in oncology with 7,000 patient samples across seven cancer indications. This effort includes collaborations with Uniklinikum Erlangen, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) to accelerate research in various therapeutic areas.
Dr. Philipp Mann, Principal Partnerships Manager for Switzerland, Germany, and Austria (DACH), emphasized: “The healthcare system in the DACH region offers invaluable repositories of reliable, comprehensive health data crucial for guiding drug discovery and development strategies. Collaboration between Owkin and these institutions enhances data utilization, driving innovation and accelerating medical advancements. With the combined expertise of our partners, this data can translate into actionable insights revolutionizing patient care and improving health outcomes.
