The UK’s research and development (R&D) funding agency ARIA has granted funds to anti-clinical research organisation (CRO) Lindus Health for the development of a ‘reliable’ and safe artificial intelligence (AI) for trial design.
This initiative is part of ARIA’s Safeguarded AI programme.
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The project, known as ‘Transforming clinical trial design using safe and reliable AI,’ will be a collaborative effort between Lindus Health and the research group of Nobuko Yoshida at the University of Oxford’s Department of Computer Science.
Lindus Health noted that current AI systems lack the necessary reliability in ‘high-stakes applications’ such as trial design, which could result in biased decision-making or cause errors with severe consequences.
The Safeguarded AI programme is said to transform the safety of AI by integrating scientific world models with mathematical proofs, generating systems with ‘quantitative safety guarantees’ similar to those in the aviation and nuclear industries.
This approach aims to reduce risks while offering benefits in crucial sectors.
As part of this funded initiative, Lindus Health is developing an AI-assisted clinical trial design system.
The research aims to ‘validate’ AI methods with mathematically proven safeguards for decision-making, addressing the inefficient and fragmented processes that currently complicate trial design.
The project’s goal is to create a solution that uses mathematical proofing techniques to offer ‘best practice’ recommendations to trial researchers, complete with safety assurance.
This is expected to significantly minimise trial setup times, reduce expenses, and enhance accuracy, thereby expediting therapy development and building trust in AI tools among clinical researchers.
When fully validated, the approach could change how the biopharmaceutical industry conducts trials, making them quick, reliable, and easier to access.
Lindus Health Product head Nijat Hasanli said: “Poor trial design can lead to various consequences that hinder scientific innovation, from time-consuming operational tasks to clinical trial failures.
“With ARIA, we’re combining our AI and industry expertise to work towards eliminating these risks, setting every clinical trial up for success and transforming the way we develop medical interventions.”
This January, Lindus Health secured $55m in a Series B funding round to back its fully integrated, AI-driven alternative research services.
