Nanoform launches next-generation STARMAP[®] v2.0, the AI-based drug candidate selection tool for CESS[® ]
Press release
Nanoform Finland Plc
March 22, 2021
08:10 a.m. Finnish time / 07:10 a.m. Swedish time
Nanoform launches next-generation STARMAP® v2.0, the AI-based drug candidate selection tool for CESS®
Helsinki, Finland – Nanoform Finland Plc, an innovative nanoparticle medicine enabling company, has today launched the next generation of its STARMAP® AI (artificial intelligence) platform, v2.0. The technology utilizes sparse-data AI to augment experimental results from its CESS® nanoparticle engineering process with detailed expert knowledge, allowing reliable predictions to be made regarding partners’ potential success of nanoforming their drug molecules.
CESS® is a nanoparticle platform technology which produces pure homogeneous drug particles from solution in an excipient-free process. By reducing the particle size e.g., from 10 microns to 50 nm, the specific surface area can be increased by as much as 1000-fold, thereby improving dissolution rate, solubility, and bioavailability. Consequently, Nanoform can help pharma partners progress molecules into development that otherwise may not have been possible. It also opens up exciting possibilities for a wide range of novel drug delivery applications.
STARMAP® is a digital version of the CESS® technology that enables in silico experiments in large quantities, creating fast predictions of which molecules should be nanoformed. This is important since there are more potential drug molecules than particles in the known universe. STARMAP® can be a powerful tool for pharma partners to pick suitable drug candidates for further development from their large libraries. The benefits might include faster path to market and new possibilities for broadening and deepening drug pipelines while simultaneously increasing the probability of drug development success.
The STARMAP® platform can have wide applicability in drug discovery and development as well as in lifecycle management for existing marketed drugs and 505b2-like product development strategies.
“AI algorithms developed for big data have so far struggled to live up to expectations in pharma because the data, especially for early assets (drug discovery, drug screening), that is available to pharma is typically insufficient for generating reliable predictions. We believe sparse-data AI will work much better – in practice, this means augmenting experimental results with detailed expert knowledge, which can be used to prevent the AI from predicting outcomes that are nonsensical based on prior understanding. There is a lot of untapped potential in sparse-data AI for the pharma industry and the field continues to undergo rapid development in both academia and the industry in general,” said Prof. Jukka Corander, Head of AI at Nanoform.
“By determining which drug candidates are ideal for our CESS® process, the next-gen STARMAP® platform can potentially create new opportunities for our pharma partners. These can include both revisiting drug candidates unnecessarily discarded by AIs trained on old particle engineering techniques, and rapidly picking winners among new drug candidates. Ultimately, the benefit of more advanced AI will be felt by patients as new therapies are accelerated to market,” commented Christian Jones, Chief Commercial Officer at Nanoform
Prof. Jukka Corander, Head of AI at Nanoform is presenting at the BIO-Europe Spring, EBD event on March 22-25 2021 on an AI-based panel discussing the opportunities for AI and STARMAP® in Pharma (https://informaconnect.com/bioeurope-spring/).
For further information, please contact:
Christian Jones, CCO
Christian.jones@nanoform.com / +44 7804 474771
For investor relations queries, please contact:
Henri von Haartman, Director of Investor Relations
hvh@nanoform.com / +46 7686 650 11
About Nanoform
Nanoform is an innovative nanoparticle medicine enabling company. Nanoform works together with pharma and biotech partners globally to provide hope for patients in developing new and improved medicines utilizing Nanoform’s platform technologies. The company focuses on reducing clinical attrition and on enhancing drug molecules’ performance through its nanoforming technologies and formulation services. Nanoform’s capabilities include GMP manufacturing, and its services span the small to large molecule development space with a focus on solving key issues in drug solubility and bioavailability and on enabling novel drug delivery applications. Nanoform’s shares are listed on the Premier-segment of Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Helsinki (ticker: NANOFH) and Stockholm (ticker: NANOFS). Certified Adviser: Danske Bank A/S, Finland Branch, +358 40 562 1806. For more information please visit http://www.nanoform.com
Forward-Looking Statements
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