New biotech partnership to use AI to bring cell treatment to patients faster

4 Apr 2022

Pictured at NovaUCD is Gareth O’Sullivan, CEO of Empiric Logic. Image: Paul Sharp/Sharppix

NovaUCD-based Empiric Logic is helping aCGT Vector bring cellular therapy to patients faster using AI and data analytics.

Dublin start-up Empiric Logic has partnered with Louth-based company aCGT Vector.

Empiric Logic, which is based out of NovaUCD at University College Dublin, will use its machine learning data analytics tools to help aCGT Vector bring its cellular therapies to market faster.

Recognised as an Enterprise Ireland high-potential start-up, Empiric Logic was founded in 2018. It has developed an AI-powered bioinformatics platform that aims to simplify the exploration of human health, using genomics and other data, without compromising patients’ identifying data.

Last March, the start-up won an €85,000 grant to research data privacy in genomics.

Gareth O’Sullivan, CEO of Empiric Logic, said his company is helping aCGT Vector to bring its precision medicine therapies “more efficiently and quickly to patients in Ireland and around the world.”

According to O’Sullivan, partnerships such as this also enable Empiric Logic to further improve its ability to address varied use cases for its technology while also helping blend genomics analysis with analysis of other clinical and phenotype data.

“Access to well-curated and quality data sources is a key driver in allowing us to help companies such as aCGT Vector improve patient outcomes,” he added.

aCGT Vector is a member of the Healed consortium, which last year secured €6.8m in Government funding under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund as part of a three-year €10.5m programme to develop next-generation cell therapies for cancer.

The company’s cellular therapy focus includes CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cell immunotherapy, which is rapidly evolving as a therapeutic procedural approach for the treatment of rare diseases and cancer.

Gary McAuslan, CEO of aCGT Vector, said it places a “great emphasis on finding companies with an aligned vision and an eagerness to drive further innovation in precision medicine development” when looking for partners to work with.

“Empiric Logic has that vision and not only are they going to be able to help us with access to their software platform capability, they will also help us architect and further refine our data curation, collection, analysis and management process,” McAuslan added.

“This will enable us to make better use of the data we collect to support better patient care and outcomes in a secure and privacy preserving manner.”

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Blathnaid O’Dea is Careers reporter at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com