Benzinga | Mar 8, 2021 08:12AM EST

PathAI and Labcorp Broaden Strategic Collaboration to Accelerate Use of AI-Powered Pathology

PathAI, a global provider of artificial intelligence-powered (AI-powered) technology for use in pathology research, and Labcorp (NYSE:LH), a leading global life sciences company, today announced the broadening of their strategic partnership in the field of AI-powered pathology. The collaboration builds on Labcorp's past investment in PathAI and the companies' collaboration on a series of projects, including the deployment of PathAI algorithms in clinical trials managed by Labcorp Drug Development.

A key focus of the expanded collaboration will be to enable, in prospective clinical trials of cancer and other diseases, the seamless deployment of PathAI's algorithms in the broad portfolio of programs managed by Labcorp Drug Development. These PathAI algorithms are developed using Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) guidelines and process controls and are locked and validated as fit for purpose; they can also be further extended to companion diagnostic (CDx) device development and commercialization. They can be deployed in retrospective or prospective clinical trials to quantify tissue-based biomarkers and can support patient stratification and selection. The algorithms have many potential additional uses where robust deployment and data collection are needed. Labcorp and PathAI plan to explore bridging the use of AI-powered algorithms from translational research into a clinical laboratory setting.

"We are very impressed with the vision that Labcorp has for the future of AI-powered pathology in drug development and diagnostics, and we look forward to joining forces to enable our bio-pharma partners to obtain the most accurate, standardized, and data-rich set of pathology readouts from clinical trials to help advance drug development," said PathAI CEO Andy Beck. "After exploring successful initial projects with Labcorp, we are excited to leverage the scale of its network to grow the reach of digital and computational pathology with the goal of ultimately improving patient outcomes."

"It has been great working with PathAI to expand computational pathology applications in oncology and other diseases that have often been resistant to digitization," said Paul Kirchgraber, M.D., CEO, Labcorp Drug Development. "This collaboration will provide our bio-pharma partners a differentiated understanding of relevant patient characteristics through applying leading AI-driven algorithms to support clinical trials from novel biomarker development through patient stratification and companion diagnostic development."