BMS calls on AI firm Paradigm to streamline study design and enrolment

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has expanded its roster of AI partners in a deal that will see new artificial intelligence trial tech firm Paradigm revamp some of its study programs.

The deal – financial terms of which were not disclosed – will see New York-headquartered Paradigm apply its data and patient-matching technology to BMS’s trials, beginning with its various oncology development programs.

According to Paradigm, Bristol Myers Squibb will be able to enroll patients from providers across its network of health systems in the US.

Paradigm CEO Kent Thoelke, said "Working with a leader like Bristol Myers Squibb helps scale equitable access for patients today.

“In the process, we aim to help Bristol Myers Squibb speed up recruitment, attract a more diverse patient population, reduce provider burden, and more rapidly complete trials to increase access to potentially helpful therapies in the future."

BMS has forged similar deals with other artificial intelligence (AI) developers. In May 2022, for example, it set up a multi-year, strategic collaboration with Owkin, initially focusing on cardiovascular diseases.

Participation

Paradigm was founded in January by ARCH Venture Partners and General Catalyst. Its aim is to make trials a care option for all patients by bringing healthcare providers and sponsors together.

At the time Hemant Taneja, Paradigm board co-chair and CEO and Managing Director of General Catalyst, said, "By rethinking how clinical trials are conducted and reducing the burden on health systems for participation, they're democratizing access to clinical trials.

Taneja added, “Paradigm's mission is fundamentally aligned with Health Assurance’s basic principles by making the best care possible available to any patient anywhere."

At launch Paradigm raised $203 million in a series A financing round, attracting backing from F-Prime Capital, GV, LUX Capital, Mubadala Capital, and Magnetic Ventures, and strategic investors including the American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge.

The launch coincided with Paradigm’s acquisition of Deep Lens, the developer of an artificial intelligence-based patient recruitment platform for oncology-focused clinical trials.

At the time Paradigm called Deep Lens a leader in technology-enabled clinical trial patient recruitment, explaining that it uses leveraging electronic medical records and genomics data to identify potential participants.

DepositPhotos/MaksLab