ModernVivo, a startup at the forefront of innovation in preclinical research, has joined the Merck Digital Sciences Studio’s (MDSS) third cohort. ModernVivo’s mission is clear: help researchers accelerate study design, optimize resource efficiency, and fuel translational success with automated data-driven literature reviews.
Addressing a Critical Challenge in Drug Development
The pharmaceutical industry faces a staggering challenge: over 90% of novel drug candidates fail during human clinical trials. Often, these failures can be traced to limitations in preclinical animal studies, which struggle to accurately predict human outcomes. Moreover, the traditional methods of designing these studies remain slow, manual, and outdated, with researchers relying on limited literature analysis to inform billion-dollar decisions.
Led by CEO Ian Levine, ModernVivo’s innovative approach tackles this head-on. The company’s AI-enabled software helps research scientists design preclinical animal models to accelerate project timelines, reduce development costs, and identify more effective therapeutics. This solution not only addresses the inefficiencies of manual study design but also promotes ethical research practices by minimizing the use of animals in experiments.
Solution Overview
- ModernVivo has developed an AI-enabled software suite that revolutionizes the way in vivo models are designed by taking a data-driven approach. This allows for rapid development of experimental protocols, and can aid in the identification of more effective therapeutics, earlier on in drug development.
- ModernVivo’s software allows research scientists at pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, and academic institutions to analyze thousands of published articles in a fraction of the time, improving confidence in novel preclinical data.
- Current functionality focuses on analyzing large quantities of experimental conditions to accelerate study design and lower associated animal costs.
- Near-term product development focuses on the implementation of the company’s patent-pending technology to identify and prioritize animal study designs that are most representative of the human condition.
A Vision for the Future
ModernVivo’s participation in the MDSS program underscores its potential to drive significant advancements in preclinical research. As the company continues to develop its technology and expand its reach, it is poised to play a pivotal role in improving the success rate of novel therapeutics.
Learn more about ModernVivo and their work on their website.
About Merck Digital Sciences Studio:
The Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDS Studio or MDSS) is a collaboration between Merck, the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Northpond Ventures, McKesson Ventures, Microsoft for Startups, and the New Jersey Innovation Institute, a New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) subsidiary. The 10-month startup accelerator program empowers members and enables the generation of innovative digital technologies for drug discovery and development through hands-on mentorship, connection opportunities with industry-leading partners, and training in an active entrepreneurial setting. Through the accelerator program, these startups will have access to workshops, coaching, office space, and Microsoft for Startups resources, including up to $150,000 Azure Cloud computing credits.