On Mar. 12, 2020, Predictive Oncology announced it will launch a new AI platform for vaccine and drug development targeting Coronaviruses and Acute Respiratory Syndromes (COVID-19, MERS, and SARS) through an operating agreement with Soluble Therapeutics.

Global health experts are predicting an ever-increasing number of viral outbreaks like COVID-19, POAI is taking proactive measures to be part of the solution by applying artificial intelligence to aid in the development of new drugs and vaccines. Utilizing Soluble Therapeutics’ HSC^TM technology and its six machines, Soluble’s computer system expects to be able to run over 12,000 computer simulations per machine to help generate new diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics. Soluble’s HSC^TM technology has demonstrated efficacy with both new and existing vaccine and drug programs, ensuring the best delivery mechanisms to address new pandemics and battle cancers.

The market for biologicals that includes vaccines, proteins and antibodies used in disease treatment  is projected to reach $479.7 billion by 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9%.* The capital the US Congress has allocated to fight COVID-19 is $8.0 billion dollars.

Protein formulation is often a bottleneck in protein-based drug development, and Soluble Therapeutics’ technology directly addresses this bottleneck. Combining the HSC^TM technology with POAI’s predictive modeling platform is expected to create a new rapid AI discovery platform that quickly and cost-effectively identifies potential therapeutic candidates. The HSC^TM technology accelerates the formulation process and is believed to achieve in a month what can take a team of scientists several months to a year to achieve. The HSC^TM technology only requires milligrams where a traditional formulation effort can require up to a gram of material.

HSC™ Technology is a self-contained, automated, chromatographic system that conducts high throughput, microcapillary, self-interaction chromatography screens, using additives and excipients commonly included in protein formulations. The data generated from these screens is analyzed by a predictive algorithm used to identify the optimal combination(s) of additives and excipients, resulting in increased solubility and physical stability of proteins. The system works in concert with a predictive algorithm of formulation parameters that can be exclusively accessed through Soluble Therapeutics.

The HSC™ Instrument, and underlying technology, has been validated over the past ten years via industry and academic collaborations. For biopharmaceutical clients and vaccine manufacturers, this means faster development times and quicker progression of molecules into the clinic. The COVID-19 vaccine development efforts by industry and government can benefit enormously using the Soluble HSC^TM technology with POAI’s predictive modeling platform.