PercayAI, Washington University Collaborate to Leverage AI in Fight Against COVID-19

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The St. Louis start-up PercayAI and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have formed a research collaboration to leverage the latest in deep learning and augmented intelligence (AI) technology to identify promising drug combinations in the fight against the COVID-19 virus.

As part of the research effort, PercayAI will use its AI software platform to analyze deidentified clinical and genomic data from Washington University's Institute for Informatics and McDonnell Genome Institute, with the goal of identifying combinations of drugs that may be effective against COVID-19 in specific patient populations. Researchers from the Institute for Informatics and the Genome Technology Access Center at the McDonnell Genome Institute (GTAC@MGI) will work together with PercayAI computational scientists to review the results and potential drug treatments identified. The company's AI software was originally co-developed with the GTAC, and the groups are continuing to work closely together to extend its capabilities.

"We are pleased to be extending our collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine to leverage our collective expertise and resources in big data, genomics, and AI, helping to identify targeted treatment options that may be effective for COVID-19 patients," said Preston Keller, Chief Commercial Officer at PercayAI. 

Findings gleaned from the pilot project could be evaluated further in research studies to determine whether particular drug combinations could effectively treat COVID-19, according to Philip R.O. Payne, PhD, Associate Dean for Health Information and Data Science, and Chief Data Scientist at Washington University School of Medicine, and Director of the University's Institute for Informatics.

The healthcare and life sciences environments have experienced a fundamental shift toward transdisciplinary, integrative, and data-intensive approaches to basic, clinical, and translational research. Coupled with the widespread use of next generation information technology platforms and deep learning algorithms, healthcare delivery is being re-engineered to achieve greater value alongside improved outcomes and safety. To effectively utilize the complex data, information, and knowledge associated with these trends requires a comprehensive and systems-level approach to biomedical informatics research, education, and practice.

"As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, augmented intelligence and machine learning can play a key role in helping us address this crisis," Payne said. "Machine learning technology enables computers to simulate human intelligence and analyze massive amounts of data quickly to identify patterns that could steer us toward promising drug combinations against COVID-19."

About PercayAI:
PercayAI is an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, computational biologists and chemists, and life-science executives, all of whom are devoted to understanding the complexities of the human body and enhancing patients' quality of life. Based in St. Louis, the company is reimagining the drug discovery process by providing innovative augmented intelligence software. PercayAI is a wholly owned company of values-driven investment firm Kingdom Capital. To learn more, visit PercayAI's website at www.PercayAI.com.

SOURCE PercayAI

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