- Unlearn.AI — the developer of the first machine-learning platform that creates Digital Twins used to populate Intelligent Control Arms in clinical studies — has announced that it has closed a $12 million Series A
Unlearn.AI — the developer of the first machine-learning platform that creates Digital Twins used to populate Intelligent Control Arms in clinical studies — has announced that it has closed a $12 million Series A financing. This round of funding was led by 8VC with participation from all the company’s existing investors, including DCVC, DCVC Bio and Mubadala Capital Ventures. And through its investment, 8VC Principal Francisco Gimenez, Ph.D. has joined the Unlearn Board of Directors.
Unlearn’s proprietary DiGenesis platform processes historical clinical trial datasets from thousands of patients to build the disease-specific machine learning models used to create Digital Twins and their corresponding virtual medical records.
What are Digital Twin records? Digital Twin records are longitudinal and include demographic information, common lab tests, and endpoints and/or biomarkers that look identical to actual patient records in a clinical trial. And through this novel approach of generating control patient data, Unlearn aims to reduce the number of patients required to run a trial while maintaining rigorous standards of evidence and study randomization and blinding.
Unlearn launched in 2017 by a team of machine learning scientists who shared a vision of building novel technologies that drive better clinical trial decision making through more comprehensive clinical evidence. And the company’s initial focus is on neurological diseases — starting with Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis — because of the significant need for new treatment options and the inherent challenges of enrolling patients in clinical trials.
Key Quotes:
“This new financing marks an important milestone in our growth and will contribute to the significant progress we are making with regulators and with our commercial partners, who are already running studies with Digital Twins and demonstrating their value in generating robust evidence and increasing the potential for trial success. Clinical trials are facing a number of persistent challenges that have only been exacerbated in recent weeks. With support from our forward-thinking investors and industry partners, we are excited to continue growing our exceptional team and advancing the science behind our first-of-its-kind Digital Twin approach.”
-Unlearn.AI founder and CEO Charles K. Fisher, Ph.D.
“Unlearn’s pioneering use of Digital Twins will limit the number of patients that need to go on placebo while also reducing overall trial enrollment time. As investors at the intersection of healthcare and technology, we’re passionate about companies that pair cutting-edge computational techniques and innovative business models to meaningfully improve patient care. 8VC is excited to partner with Unlearn to bring about the biggest change in the drug approval process since the RCT.”
-8VC Principal Dr. Francisco Gimenez
“Clinical trial recruitment in Alzheimer’s Disease is daunting and study success continues to be challenged by a limited pool of patients. To improve success rates, we need a new paradigm in trial design. Unlearn’s unique model has shown that it can provide realistic digital patient records to supplement actual control patients in Alzheimer’s Disease trials. This is a potential game-changer, not only in trial recruitment strategies, but also in the delivery of high-quality data that supports study confidence and success.”
-Craig Lipset, founder of Clinical Innovation Partners and Unlearn Advisory Board member
