UniBe spin-off Risklick unveils AI tool to streamline clinical trials

Risklick, a spin-off from the University of Bern, has unveiled its cutting-edge software, Protocol AI, designed to transform the landscape of pharmaceutical development.

The development of new therapies is a costly and lengthy process, averaging ten years and up to two billion dollars in expenses for pharmaceutical companies. A significant portion of these costs and time is attributed to clinical trials, which are mandatory for validating new treatments before they reach the market. The complexity and length of these trials often lead to delays and failures, affecting both the cost and the availability of new treatments.

“Developing a protocol can take up to 12 months of intensive work. The slightest error can have severe consequences,” said Poorya Amini, Co-Founder and CEO of Risklick. To combat these issues, Risklick has introduced Protocol AI, which Amini describes as a “pioneering solution” that reduces both the time and cost of clinical trials by up to 35%.

Protocol AI employs advanced technologies such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), Large Language Models (LLM), and Machine Learning (ML) to optimize the selection and integration of existing clinical data. This facilitates evidence-based decision-making and enables the automatic drafting of clinical trial protocols in a matter of minutes.

The software’s impact extends beyond simplifying protocol development. It also increases the chances of a trial’s success, making it a critical tool for the future of medical innovation. Protocol AI has already garnered interest from major industry players, including Debiopharm and Integrated Scientific Services (ISS AG), enhancing their research and development capabilities.

Revolutionizing clinical trial design

In Risklick’s press release, Cédric Odje of Debiopharm emphasized the strategic importance of their investment in the Bernese start-up, noting that Protocol AI accelerates the delivery of innovative treatments while ensuring efficient trial designs and robust compliance. Similarly, Michel Weber from ISS AG highlighted the software’s ability to improve clinical investigation designs, supporting the generation of accurate therapeutic data for medical devices, digital medicines, and in vitro diagnostics (IVDs).

Lastly, Paul Miller, Vice President Commercial Strategy of Advanced Clinical also praised Protocol AI for its ability to minimize AI distortions and extract validated data from diverse registries, which can “revolutionize clinical trial design.”