SK bioscience said on the 2nd it was selected as the lead institution for Rotor (The Research Optimization & Trial Outcome Recommender), an artificial intelligence (AI)-based clinical decision support platform project supported by the Gates Foundation.
Path, an international nonprofit in global health, and Slalom, a global information technology (IT) consulting corporations, are participating in the project, and the expense will be funded by the Gates Foundation.
Rotor is a project to build a platform that analyzes immune responses and research data generated during vaccine development with AI to support clinical development strategies and decision-making.
SK bioscience, as the lead institution overseeing the platform's design and build, will also handle application and validation with real vaccine development data. Path will provide expertise in the global health domain, and Slalom will support IT system construction.
Vaccine development typically decides whether to enter phase 3 based on phase 2 results. But in some vaccine fields, indicators to predict preventive efficacy have not been fully established, and differences in test methods have constrained decision-making. In particular, because phase 3 carries heavy expense and time burdens, there has been a continuing demand for objectivity and precision in decision-making.
The Rotor platform will provide decision-support functions by analyzing the development potential and strategic pathways of candidates based on large-scale clinical and research data.
SK bioscience and Path will build and validate the platform based on their rotavirus vaccine development experience and data. They will then review using it to support the research and development capacity of vaccine developers in low- and middle-income countries and to expand vaccine access.
The company has worked with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
SK bioscience has expanded global health infrastructure by collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Recently, it signed a technology introduction contract with the U.S. CDC related to a rotavirus vaccine, and is working with a research institute under the Gates Foundation to develop an antibody therapy for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). On Feb. 2, it won a project from a European Union (EU) institution to develop a patch-type flu vaccine. It is also developing pipelines including an Ebola vaccine and a cell culture-based avian influenza vaccine.
An Jae-yong, president of SK bioscience, said, "This project is a new attempt to use AI to reduce uncertainty in the vaccine development process and enable more scientific and efficient decision-making," adding, "We will work with global partners, including the Gates Foundation, to contribute to innovation in vaccine research and development and to improving global vaccine access."