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‍Highlights & Summary  

May saw a surge in AI-driven advances across drug discovery, diagnostics, and healthcare. AMPLY and SandboxAQ secured funding for cancer / infection therapeutic development and deep-tech platform growth, respectively; X-Chem and Orion expanded their partnership to support multi-project drug discovery. In diagnostics, Coreline Soft teamed up with Boehringer Ingelheim for AI lung imaging, NICE backed an AI skin cancer detection device, and SpotitEarly entered the U.S. market and is preparing to deploy an at-home cancer screening test. PhaseV raised a Series A for AI-based clinical trial optimization, Microsoft launched a tool to streamline information for tumor boards, and Viz.ai partnered with Sanofi / Regeneron on AI solutions for high-risk COPD care. Here’s a round-up of the most noteworthy developments.

Happy reading!

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Featured DeciBio Insights  

1 | Inflection Points of Artificial Intelligence in Drug Development White Paper | DeciBio

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AI in Drug Discovery  

1 | AI drug discovery startup AMPLY banks $1.75M to decode cancer and superbugs | Financing

2 | X-Chem extends drug discovery collaboration with Orion Pharma | Partnership

3 | SandboxAQ attracts major investment to advance AI-driven drug discovery, even as other deals slow | Funding

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AI in Diagnostics  

1 | Coreline Soft supplies AI lung analysis software to Boehringer Ingelheim | Partnership

2 | Nice recommends first AI medical device for skin cancer diagnosis in the NHS | Regulatory

3 | SpotitEarly enters U.S. market with $20M+ to revolutionize at-home early cancer detection | Funding

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AI in Healthcare  

1 | PhaseV raises $50M to supercharge AI for clinical development | Funding

2 | Microsoft announces Agentic AI for cancer care support | Product Launch

3 | Viz.ai announces collaboration with Sanofi and Regeneron to improve COPD care management | Partnership

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AI in Drug Discovery  

1 | AI drug discovery startup AMPLY banks $1.75M to decode cancer and superbugs | Financing

Belfast-based AMPLY Discovery has secured $1.75M in seed funding led by Twin Path Ventures. The round supports its mission to develop therapies for aggressive cancers and drug-resistant infections using its proprietary AI platform.

2 | X-Chem extends drug discovery collaboration with Orion Pharma | Partnership

The extended partnership allows Orion to access X-Chem’s end-to-end drug discovery platform, which includes DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening, AI-assisted hit evaluation, and medicinal chemistry support. With the renewal, Orion will now be able to leverage X-Chem’s integrated platform across multiple projects aimed at accelerating the identification and optimisation of small molecule drug candidates.

3 | SandboxAQ attracts major investment to advance AI-driven drug discovery, even as other deals slow | Funding

SandboxAQ, an AI and quantum technology firm spun out of Alphabet, raised $450 million in an oversubscribed Series E round, drawing significant investment from high-profile family offices and tech leaders. The company uses AI for large-scale statistical modeling across industries, including drug discovery, where its predictive models help analyze complex numerical datasets to accelerate therapeutic development. SandboxAQ positions itself as a deep-tech platform offering long-term value in sectors requiring advanced computation. Its growing investor interest reflects a shift toward supporting foundational AI technologies with strategic, long-horizon applications in areas like healthcare and biotech.

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AI in Diagnostics  

1 | Coreline Soft supplies AI lung analysis software to Boehringer Ingelheim | Partnership

Coreline Soft has partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim Taiwan to deploy its AI-powered lung imaging software, AVIEW Lung Texture, across major hospitals to support real-world data collection and clinical validation for antifibrotic drugs. The AI tool rapidly analyzes CT images to quantify and classify pulmonary fibrosis patterns, integrating with hospital systems to facilitate efficient patient selection and treatment response monitoring. This initiative supports Boehringer Ingelheim’s broader strategy to incorporate AI and digital tools early in drug development, particularly for respiratory conditions like interstitial lung disease. The collaboration aims to accelerate the identification of eligible clinical trial patients and advance the development of next-generation antifibrotic therapies such as Neranomilast.

2 | Nice recommends first AI medical device for skin cancer diagnosis in the NHS | Regulatory

NICE has endorsed DERM, an autonomous AI medical device developed by Skin Analytics, for detecting skin cancer. This recognition marks a milestone for AI use in frontline care and a major step in using AI to free up clinician capacity and improve patient outcomes across the NHS. Already used across 26 NHS sites, DERM detects 97% of cancers, with a Negative Predictive Value for melanoma of 99.8%, performing as well as, or better than, dermatologists in ruling out cancer cases.

3 |  SpotitEarly enters U.S. market with $20M+ to revolutionize at-home early cancer detection | Funding

SpotitEarly, a biotech startup using AI to enhance early cancer detection, has launched in the U.S. following $20.3 million in funding. Its proprietary approach combines trained canines with LUCID AI technology to analyze canines’ physical and behavioral signals in response to volatile organic compounds in breath samples correlated with several cancer types. This method has achieved 94% accuracy in early clinical trials. The company plans to make its at-home breath test for breast, colorectal, prostate, and lung cancer commercially available in the U.S. by 2026, aiming to use AI-enabled screening to improve accessibility and precision in early cancer screening.

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AI in Healthcare  

1 | PhaseV raises $50M to supercharge AI for clinical development | Funding

PhaseV, an AI-driven clinical trial optimization platform, has raised $50 million in Series A funding to expand its capabilities and global reach. The company’s vertical AI platform uses adaptive trial design and causal inference to simulate millions of scenarios and identify hidden patient subgroups, significantly improving trial efficiency and success rates. By reducing trial budgets by up to 50% and shortening timelines by as much as 40%, PhaseV aims to help pharma and biotech companies bring therapies to market faster and more effectively. PhaseV has been used across 20 therapeutic areas, positioned as a foundational operating system for smarter, AI-enhanced clinical trials.

2 | Microsoft announces Agentic AI for cancer care support | Product Launch

Microsoft is introducing Agentic AI as a tool to support multidisciplinary cancer care by automating and streamlining the complex data workflows typically handled by tumor boards. With fewer than 1% of cancer patients currently benefiting from personalized treatment planning due to time and resource constraints, AI-powered agents aim to expand access by reducing the time clinicians spend reviewing multimodal data such as imaging, pathology, and genomic reports. The system offers customizable and pre-configured agents designed to integrate with other tools like Microsoft Teams and Word. By coordinating clinical workflows, agentic AI seeks to enhance specialist decision-making, improve efficiency, and enhance care delivery.

3 |  Viz.ai announces collaboration with Sanofi and Regeneron to improve COPD care management | Partnership

Viz.ai has partnered with Sanofi and Regeneron to deploy and evaluate an AI-powered workflow solution aimed at improving care for high-risk chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The Viz COPD module uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to analyze electronic health record data, identify high-risk individuals, and streamline care coordination in alignment with clinical guidelines. This initiative seeks to address common barriers in COPD management, such as poor risk stratification and fragmented care, by enhancing early detection and follow-up.

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