West Virginia University and GATC Health Partner to Launch Strategic Program to Accelerate Academic Research into Market-Ready Therapies
The innovative program harnesses GATC's AI-powered platform to rapidly de-risk and optimize drug discovery and development, accelerating the transition to clinical trials.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va., Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- West Virginia University (WVU), one of the top public research institutions in the nation, has formed a strategic partnership with GATC Health Corp, a leading tech-bio company leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to transform drug discovery. The collaborative agreement facilitates the combination of WVU's early-stage drug research and GATC's AI drug discovery platform to accelerate commercialization and create de-risked bio-tech investment opportunities.
The program aims to de-risk and accelerate the commercialization of groundbreaking research conducted at WVU. Utilizing GATC Health's Multiomics Advanced Technology™ (MAT) AI, which simulates complex systems biology with approximately 90% accuracy, the program empowers researchers to simulate billions of biological interactions, enabling rapid, accurate target discovery, drug identification, and testing at the earliest stages of drug development. By predicting safety, efficacy, and off-target effects, GATC's platform reduces the risk, time, and cost of traditional drug discovery while simulating clinical trial outcomes before laboratory work begins. GATC's technology has contributed to significant discoveries in addiction, PTSD, diabetes, obesity, glioblastoma, and cognitive decline.
The partnership not only advances academic research but also creates compelling investment opportunities by significantly reducing the risks traditionally associated with biopharma ventures. By leveraging GATC Health's AI, the program identifies high-potential projects early in the drug development process. This precision enables faster decision-making while de-risking university research as it progresses toward pre-clinical work, IND-enabling studies, and clinical trials. As the exclusive AI partner with Lloyd's of London syndicate Medical & Commercial International and in partnership with Acrisure Re Corporate Advisory & Solutions, the international financing and consulting firm responsible for program sales and distribution, GATC is supporting the underwriting of the first insurance-backed financial program to fund clinical trials, offering a secure and innovative funding source for joint ventures stemming from WVU and GATC collaborations.
"This partnership highlights West Virginia University's dedication to driving innovation and transforming lives through groundbreaking research," said Dr. Clay Marsh, Chancellor & Executive Dean for Health Sciences at West Virginia University. "By joining forces with GATC Health and utilizing their cutting-edge AI technology, we are empowering our researchers to accelerate the path from academic discovery to life-changing therapies, ensuring WVU remains at the forefront of addressing critical healthcare challenges and delivering meaningful outcomes that benefit patients in West Virginia and across the globe."
Traditional drug discovery and development is a notoriously risky, expensive, and time-consuming process, often requiring over a decade and billions of dollars to bring a single therapy to market. The high failure rate—nearly 90% of drug candidates fail during clinical trials—stems from challenges such as inaccurate target identification, unforeseen toxicity, poor efficacy, and lengthy preclinical and clinical trial processes. By applying GATC Health's AI across these critical stages, drug discovery is becoming faster, more efficient, and more likely to succeed.
"We are thrilled to partner with WVU and launch our University Research Accelerator Program," said Tyrone Lam, Chief Business Officer of GATC Health Corp. "This collaboration highlights our commitment to empowering academic institutions with cutting-edge AI tools that bridge the gap between research and commercialization, enabling faster delivery of life-changing therapies."
By focusing on high-probability projects and leveraging GATC's "fast-fail" AI analysis, WVU will not only enhance its research capacity but also generate revenue much earlier in the discovery process. This innovative approach establishes WVU as a leader in AI-driven research commercialization.
GATC West Virginia, a subsidiary of GATC Health, is enhancing its AI-powered lab operations within the WVU Innovation Building, strategically located near West Virginia University's campus. The state-of-the-art lab facilitates rapid iteration between GATC's MAT AI and traditional lab experiments. Currently, it is focused on synthesizing drug compounds, a critical step in advancing preclinical testing for innovative treatments targeting conditions such as opioid use disorder, polysubstance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, diabetes, glioblastoma, Alzheimer's and more. To support this growth, GATC West Virginia is expanding its preclinical capabilities by hiring additional scientists this year, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and scientific excellence.
About West Virginia University
West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, WV, is a leading public research institution dedicated to creating solutions that address the challenges of today and tomorrow. Through its world-class faculty and innovative research initiatives, WVU is driving advancements across a wide range of disciplines.
About GATC Health Corp
GATC Health Corp is a technology company revolutionizing drug discovery and development through its transformative AI platform and approach. The company's validated and proprietary Multiomics Advanced Technology™ (MAT) simulates human biochemistry's billions of interactions to rapidly create novel therapeutics, identify and confirm targets, accelerate development, and de-risk drug pipelines by predicting efficacy, safety, and off-target effects. For more information, visit www.gatchealth.com.
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SOURCE GATC Health Corp