Veeda invests in Mango Sciences to add AI to trials offering

Veeda Lifesciences has invested in US artificial intelligence (AI) developer Mango Sciences in a deal designed to help it make cancer studies more diverse and representative.

The investment will see the Indian clinical trials contractor use Mango’s AI system — a large language model called Querent — to automate patient identification. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Veeda CEO Mahesh Bhalgat said, “Our partnership will transform Veeda into an AI-driven oncology drug development organization, meeting the growing demand for diversity in clinical trials, which is in line with the expectations of regulators and pharmaceutical companies.”

This was echoed by Mango CEO Mohit Misra, who said, “We are integrating large language models and generative AI into Querent to drive operational efficiencies and improve real-world evidence, ultimately identifying the right drug for the right patient.”

Mango claims the Querent system will “streamline processes, improve data management capabilities and ensure higher quality standards through broader representation of non-Caucasian populations.”

Strategic decision

The investment comes a little over a year after Ahmedabad, Gujarat-headquartered Veeda acquired European trials contractor Health Data Specialists — also called Heads.

The acquisition gave Veeda a presence in 25 locations across Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific.

According to the CRO, combined, the deals have given it “access to oncology cohorts in India and Europe and with exclusive access to eligible patient pools.”

The Mango deal also comes a few months after Veeda announced its intention to expand beyond its core business — the provision of generic drug testing services — and enter the innovator trials market.

At the time the firm said it had reorganized in a bid to add innovative drug developers, particularly those operating in the biopharmaceutical space, to its customer base.

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