The three companies each bring their own specialities to the area: Alimentiv is a contract research organization (CRO) specializing in gastroenterology, Satisfai develops AI solutions in the same area, and Virgo works with endoscopy video capture technology.
Together, the partners envisage being able to advance AI, high-definition video capture, with AI decision support and clinical research tools to be added to Alimentiv’s clinical trial investigator site network.
Alimentiv will gain exclusive access to Satisfai’s SmartScore Central Reading tool and Virgo’s cloud-based high-definition video-capture fleet.
“This synergy of Satisfai and Virgo with Alimentiv is a positive development for patients with IBD and the drug development space. Clinical trials have many pain points, and this strategic partnership will enable advances in improving the efficiency of clinical trials and make some significant changes to how trials are run,” said Jeff Smith, CEO of Alimentiv.
The three companies partnering follows only a few months after Virgo and Satisfai had entered an agreement between themselves to combine their tools.
In August, the two companies had entered into an exclusive partnership. At the time, Virgo and Satisfai planned to combine Satisfai real-time analysis of endoscopic imaging data with Virgo’s automated video capture.
They stated that being able to do so could enhance physician decision-making and improve patient outcomes across various gastrointestinal conditions, including colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, Barrett's Esophagus, Celiac disease, and Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
Nasim Parsa, gastroenterologist, and VP of Medical Affairs at Satisfai, said at the time, “Having recently completed my advanced training at the Mayo Clinic, it is incredibly exciting to see AI solutions improve endoscopic training, and essentially put an expert on your shoulder in every endoscopy suite globally. Partnering with Virgo is a great step towards achieving this aim.”
As Alimentiv has stepped into the partnership, the tools can now be applied directly into clinical trials.
With the capabilities of digital technology rapidly advancing, the industry is applying AI solutions to a number of different aspects of the clinical trial process.
It has been found that AI is able to boost clinical trial enrolment, when IBM’s Watson for Clinical Trial Matching partnered with the Mayo Clinic. Other companies have also been looking at using software alongside image analysis to enhance decision-making abilities in clinical trial settings.