Nucleai and Propath UK announce partnership for end-to-end AI-powered spatial analysis of a 30-plex immunofluorescence immuno-oncology panel

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Extract from a 10-plex immunofluorescence stain on human tonsil tissue, performed by Propath UK using the Lunaphore COMET. Blue – DNA (DAPI), Green - CD4, Orange – CD8, Teal – FoxP3, Red CD68, White – PD-1, Magenta - PanCK (Photo: Business Wire)

HEREFORD, United Kingdom & TEL AVIV, Israel– Propath UK, Europe’s leading CRO for spatial biology, and Nucleai, a leader in AI-powered spatial biology transforming precision medicine by unlocking spatial biology insights from pathology data, announce their collaboration to develop and validate a 30-plex immunofluorescence (IF) panel focused on protein targets relevant to immuno-oncology. For our pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners, this groundbreaking panel, in conjunction with Nucleai’s validated AI assay, can be used to unlock insights from immunotherapy trials and inform the development of novel biomarkers and companion diagnostics (CDx).

“Our strategic partnership with Propath has far-reaching implications in biomarker discovery,” said Avi Viedman, CEO of Nucleai. “The collaboration allows us to develop and deploy AI-based multi-modal models to identify unique sets of previously unavailable biomarkers and drug targets. Together, we are pushing the boundaries of pathology tissue analytics.”

Applying its expertise in multiomic spatial biology and high-plex immunofluorescence, Propath will develop a novel protocol using the innovative Lunaphore COMET™ platform for analysis of 30 high-value protein targets from a single tissue section. The COMET™ enables rapid development of highly multiplexed panels, with robust and reproducible staining. Propath UK will use experience gained across a range of spatial proteomic and transcriptomic projects completed on its in-house multiomic platforms.

“Spatial biology is transforming biopharma research by enabling deeper analysis of cell phenotypes with full spatial context in the tissue microenvironment,” commented Dr Krish Soni, Chief Executive of Propath UK. “We are delighted to collaborate with Nucleai on this ambitious project which will empower researchers to unlock the potential of spatial biology, with relevance to programs from discovery through to translational and clinical research.”

Nucleai’s collaboration with Propath comes on the heels of the recent news announcement that it made with Lunaphore, announcing their partnership to provide AI-powered spatial biology analysis to accelerate drug discovery. This three-way synergy between Propath, Lunaphore and Nucleai brings new capabilities to pharma companies. The partnership utilizes Lunaphore’s flagship COMET™ platform for hyperplex staining and imaging with Nucleai’s cutting-edge AI spatial models to derive new insights from tissue biopsies, including novel drug targets, mechanisms of action, and biomarkers to advance the field of precision medicine. Demonstrating the utility of the technology, Propath provides high-plex tissue analytics using the Lunaphore COMET™ as a fully managed service.

Nucleai’s proprietary AI-powered, pathology-based biomarker discovery platform combined with Propath’s multiomic spatial biology and high-plex immunofluorescence will accelerate the pharmaceutical industry’s drug development and research programs. A fundamental aspect of precision oncology is predicting drug response for a patient cohort. The combined expertise will allow computational analysis of the tumor microenvironment, feature selections to predict disease prognosis and drug response including cancer sub-type determination, to stratify patients and support early detection and prognosis.