The Terry Fox Research Institute has awarded a competitive Digital Health Innovation Fund grant to a consortium led by Onco-Innovations Limited and Redwood AI, alongside Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre and Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval. The grant supports the development of the Onco SynoGraph AI-driven oncology platform, which aims to predict first-in-human clinical outcomes from preclinical studies and real-world clinico-genomic data. This matters because it could significantly reduce the time and cost of bringing new cancer therapies to patients, addressing a critical bottleneck in drug development.
The reimbursement-based grant covers up to 25% of an estimated $3.5 million project budget, underscoring the project’s potential to deliver tangible clinical and economic value. By leveraging federated learning and causal AI, the platform seeks to bridge the gap between laboratory findings and human trials, where failure rates remain high. If successful, SynoGraph could enable researchers to prioritize the most promising drug candidates earlier, saving resources and accelerating patient access to innovative treatments.
Redwood AI will contribute proprietary data integration and physicochemical modelling methods, while academic partners will provide clinico-genomic and imaging data. Onco-Innovations will supply its causal AI methods and federated pipeline development. This collaboration highlights the growing role of AI in oncology, where data-driven insights are becoming essential for personalized medicine. For investors, the grant validates the technical approach and could enhance the value of Onco-Innovations (CBOE CA: ONCO) (OTCQB: ONNVF) (Frankfurt: W1H) (WKN: A3EKSZ) as it advances its mission to prevent and treat cancer through pioneering research.
The project’s use of federated learning is particularly noteworthy, as it allows multiple institutions to train AI models on sensitive patient data without sharing raw data, addressing privacy concerns while pooling knowledge. Causal AI further distinguishes SynoGraph by moving beyond correlation to identify true cause-and-effect relationships, which is crucial for predicting clinical outcomes accurately. These technologies could set a new standard for how oncology research is conducted, making it more efficient and collaborative.
Onco-Innovations holds an exclusive worldwide licence to patented technology for therapeutic inhibition of PNKP, a novel clinical target in DNA damage response, and this grant supports its broader strategy to integrate AI into its research. For stakeholders, the involvement of the Terry Fox Research Institute adds credibility and may attract further funding or partnerships. To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/ySIj9. The latest updates on ONNVF are available at https://ibn.fm/ONNVF.
The announcement was disseminated through BioMedWire, part of the IBN network, which provides InvestorWire and other communications services. As AI continues to reshape healthcare, this grant-funded initiative represents a step toward more predictive and personalized oncology, with implications for researchers, clinicians, and patients worldwide.
