Waiv, formerly known as Owkin Dx, has announced a collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo to support biomarker discovery for an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) program. The partnership focuses on applying Waiv’s artificial intelligence-driven digital pathology platform to early-phase clinical data, with the objective of identifying biomarkers predictive of treatment response ahead of later-stage trials.
The collaboration will utilize Waiv’s computational pathology capabilities to analyze tumor microenvironment (TME) characteristics across both hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) stained samples. By integrating multimodal data and advanced AI methodologies, the platform aims to uncover novel biomarkers and generate outcome predictions in data-constrained settings, a common challenge in early ADC development where patient cohorts are often limited.
Waiv’s approach is underpinned by a suite of foundation models trained on hundreds of thousands of images sourced from a global network of academic institutions, hospitals, and laboratories. These models are specifically designed to operate effectively in small datasets, enabling biomarker discovery in studies involving fewer than 100 patients.
Core elements of the platform include:
Development of bespoke AI models optimized for low-data environments
Extraction of predictive signals directly from whole slide pathology images
Identification of previously uncharacterized histopathological biomarkers
Delivery of interpretable and reproducible outputs suitable for clinical application
Through this collaboration, Waiv will apply its end-to-end platform to support biomarker identification from early-phase datasets, with the goal of advancing candidates into subsequent clinical trial stages with improved patient stratification strategies.
"Identifying which patients will respond to a therapy directly from the pathology slide is simultaneously one of the hardest problems and one of the most important opportunities in oncology drug development. It is exactly what we’ve built Waiv to deliver," said Meriem Sefta, CEO and Co-Founder, Waiv. "This collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo reflects our ability to engage early and take biomarkers all the way through to clinically validated, deployable tests. That end-to-end capability is what makes us valuable long-term collaborators."
The agreement reflects increasing adoption of AI-driven digital pathology in oncology drug development, particularly in enhancing precision medicine approaches for complex therapies such as ADCs.
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