China-based companies XtalPi and CK Life Sciences have extended their partnership agreement to develop miRNA-based postoperative molecular diagnostic models for prognostic risk prediction.

The companies plan to leverage and apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms developed by XtalPi to the anonymised clinical and biomarker data from cancer patients and healthy individuals included in CK's repository.

In 2022, XtalPi and CK partnered to develop an AI-enabled cancer vaccine discovery platform.

The use of AI in healthcare has been increasing in recent years. As per GlobalData’s Clinical Trials Database, there are currently 1,490 active clinical trials for in vitro diagnostics (IVD) devices, 569 of which are focused on oncology diagnostic devices.

As part of the current collaboration, XtalPi and CK will identify cancer biomarkers and develop computational models for clinical diagnosis, disease management, and the discovery of novel therapeutics.

"Diagnostic and prognostic tests play a crucial role in cancer management, representing a significant aspect of comprehensive cancer care. The timely detection of cancer enables early intervention, facilitating prompt treatment initiation,” said CK Life Sciences’ VP and chief scientific officer, Dr Melvin Toh.

“Working with XtalPi's exceptional team of data scientists, we hope to leverage our collective strengths to develop innovative cancer molecular diagnostics that will lead to improved patient outcomes."

Other companies that have been looking at mRNA biomarkers include Mainz Biomed, which is accessing the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of mRNA biomarkers in cancer detection as part of the ColoFuture study.