France-based AI-biotech unicorn Owkin has expanded into the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) through a partnership with nine hospitals in the region.
Owkin partnered with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Universitätsspital Basel, and Technische Universität München (TUM)
The company also partnered with Uniklinikum Erlangen, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, Inselspital Bern, Universitätsklinik Mannheim-Heidelberg and Medizinische Universität Wien.
Owkin will analyse vast datasets and identify complex patterns across the nine hospitals using its AI engines and diagnostic tools to improve patient outcomes.
Its analysis will focus on prostate cancer, muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The approach will help researchers discover novel biomarkers, predict treatment responses, and develop more effective therapies tailored to individual patients, said the company.
Owkin Western Europe partnerships director Guillaume Bézie said: “The Western Europe network covering France, Benelux and DACH represents the largest pool of centres for Owkin.
“Partnering with top academic institutions is an inevitable asset for our expansion strategy, and we are delighted to showcase the ability to significantly increase our footprint in the DACH region.
“With our partners, we are fully committed to advancing the secondary use of multimodal patient data for the purpose of giving the right treatment for each patient.”
Owkin will work with Inselspital Bern, Technische Universität München (TUM) and Universitätsspital Basel to analyse multimodal patient data.
It will identify which early-stage prostate cancer patients are most likely to fail primary treatment and ultimately progress to more severe disease and suggest a better management strategy.
The company will partner with Uniklinikum Erlangen (UKER) on MIBC to analyse H&E slides to detect FGFR3 mutations.
It will access a high-quality multimodal dataset in partnership with Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität and Medizinische Universität Wien.
The dataset includes digitised histology and RNA-seq to better understand the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and identify new targets and treatment strategies in MIBC.
Owkin has partnered with Universitätsklinikum Leipzig to leverage machine learning techniques to enhance its clinical trial design for CVD.
It will work together with Uniklinikum Erlangen (UKER) to validate its upgraded MSI pre-screening tool MSIntuit CRC V2 on more diverse cohorts.
Owkin has also expanded its MOSAIC network with Uniklinikum Erlangen, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV).
Owkin Switzerland, Germany and Austria (DACH) principal partnerships manager Philipp Mann said: “The healthcare system across the DACH region is an invaluable asset because it offers an extensive repository of reliable, comprehensive health data that can guide drug discovery and development strategies.
“The collaboration between Owkin and these institutions enhances the use of this data, driving innovation and fast-tracking medical advancements.
“With the combined expertise of these partners, the data can be transformed into actionable insights used to revolutionise patient care and improve health outcomes.”
