Lisata Therapeutics and GATC Health Expand Relationship to Advance AI-Driven Drug Discovery and Development

Core Viewpoint - The strategic alliance between Lisata Therapeutics and GATC Health aims to enhance drug development success rates by leveraging GATC's AI-powered Multiomics Advanced Technology® platform, with a focus on advancing a therapeutic for opioid use disorder into human clinical trials by early 2026 [1][3][4]. Company Overview - Lisata Therapeutics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies for advanced solid tumors and serious diseases, with a notable product candidate, certepetide, designed to improve targeting of solid tumors [8]. - GATC Health Corp. is a technology company that utilizes AI to transform drug discovery and development, with its MAT platform capable of simulating human biochemistry to create novel therapeutics and predict drug efficacy and safety [9][11]. Collaboration Details - The collaboration builds on previous work where GATC provided AI-derived analysis for Lisata's certepetide candidate, and under the expanded relationship, Lisata will utilize GATC's MAT platform to identify new combination therapies across various therapeutic areas [2][3]. - Lisata will lead the development of a non-opioid small molecule candidate for opioid use disorder, which has shown significant efficacy in preclinical studies by reducing fentanyl intake in animal models [3][12]. Financial and Strategic Implications - The partnership is expected to create substantial value for the pharmaceutical industry, with predictions suggesting AI technologies could generate $350 to $400 billion by the end of 2025, while also significantly shortening the drug discovery timeline [4]. - GATC will cover all R&D costs for its development assets, while Lisata will receive milestone fees and royalties from any successfully commercialized products, indicating a financially symbiotic relationship [7]. Technology Validation - GATC's MAT platform has demonstrated high predictive accuracy, with sensitivity at 86% and specificity at 91%, validated by the University of California, Irvine, positioning it to meet FDA requirements for new methodologies prioritizing human-relevant data [5][11].