Latest developments expand Predictive’s AI-driven drug discovery platform to include biomarker discovery and drug repurposing
With the global biomarker discovery market valued at $14.5 billion in 2024 and projected to grow at a 19.4% CAGR through 2030, Predictive Oncology is poised to lead in precision oncology innovation
PITTSBURGH, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Predictive Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: POAI), a leader in AI-driven drug discovery, today issued the following shareholder update recapping recent progress:
To Our Shareholders,
Thank you for the opportunity to share an update on the progress we're making at Predictive Oncology as we work to position ourselves as a leader—and partner of choice—in the critical and fast-evolving field of AI-driven biomarker and drug discovery.
Today, I am more confident than ever that our unique combination of assets and capabilities—most notably our vast biobank of diverse live-cell tumor specimens—sets us apart in the industry. These advantages provide us with a strong foundation to drive long-term value and play a significant role in shaping the future of cancer treatment, drug development, and clinical decision-making tools.
Advancing Survival Prediction Models in Ovarian Cancer
One of our most important achievements this past year was our collaboration with UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, where we successfully developed AI-powered multi-omic machine learning models that predict short- and long-term survival outcomes in ovarian cancer patients—outperforming models based solely on clinical data.
These breakthrough results were presented at the prestigious American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in June 2024.
The implications are far-reaching. Beyond improving early drug discovery, these models may also enhance clinical decision-making by helping providers tailor treatments to individual patients more effectively—potentially improving patient monitoring, management, and outcomes.
This is particularly important for high-grade serous ovarian cancer, a difficult cancer to treat, where relapse rates after frontline treatment remain high. We are actively refining these models with the goal of integrating them into clinical practice at leading cancer centers worldwide.
Pioneering Biomarker Discovery
Building on the success of the Magee study, we identified novel ovarian cancer biomarkers linked to patient survival and drug response using advanced deep learning methods. These insights were achieved using our existing datasets and tools.
We believe biomarker discovery represents a transformative opportunity for our AI platform—not only in ovarian cancer, but across a wide range of tumor types. According to Grand View Research, the biomarker discovery market reached $14.5 billion in 2024, with expected growth of 19.4% CAGR through 2030. We are actively exploring strategic partnerships with biopharmaceutical companies and healthcare networks to further capitalize on this momentum.
Enhancing Drug Discovery Success
Our efforts in early-stage drug discovery remain core to our mission. With clinical trial failure rates in oncology remaining high, particularly in Phases II and III, we address a critical industry challenge: the late introduction of patient heterogeneity.
By integrating real-world diversity from our biobank of 150,000 tumor samples across 137 cancer types, we validate AI drug response predictions with wet-lab testing in the earliest stages—boosting the Probability of Technical Success (PTS) and improving decision-making for target selection, clinical trial design, and pipeline development.
This capability allows our partners to accelerate timelines, reduce risk, and optimize R&D investments—making it a central component of ongoing business development discussions.
Unlocking Value in Drug Repurposing
A unique and often overlooked advantage of our platform is its ability to repurpose previously abandoned oncology drugs. Recently, we screened a curated set of such compounds using active machine learning and identified three candidates worth re-evaluating in ovarian and colon cancer.
This capability provides enormous value to drug developers by unlocking the potential of shelved assets and efficiently transitioning them back into clinical readiness. We are now applying this approach to a broader range of publicly available compounds.
Expanding ChemoFx® and Personalized Treatment Selection
In January, we announced plans to expand the reach of our flagship assay, ChemoFx®, into Europe and to broaden its availability in the United States. ChemoFx is a live-cell tumor profiling assay that uses a patient’s own cells to measure chemotherapy responses in vitro, providing personalized guidance for treatment selection.
Used alongside our BioSpeciFx® molecular biomarker portfolio, ChemoFx allows oncologists to determine which chemotherapies are most likely to benefit a specific patient—initially focusing on gynecologic cancers with plans to expand to additional tumor types.
This platform directly supports our AI-driven drug discovery initiatives by generating high-quality data that feeds into predictive models and supports biomarker discovery, companion diagnostics, and clinical trial design.
Looking Ahead
The progress we’ve made in 2024 lays a strong foundation for future growth. With a powerful combination of AI innovation, proprietary data, and deep scientific expertise, Predictive Oncology is uniquely positioned to lead the next wave of advancement in precision oncology.
We are grateful to our team—past and present—for their tireless commitment to our mission, and to you, our shareholders, for your continued support. I remain optimistic about the road ahead and look forward to updating you on the exciting opportunities we are actively pursuing.
Sincerely,
Raymond
Raymond Vennare
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Predictive Oncology
About Predictive Oncology
Predictive Oncology is on the cutting edge of the rapidly growing use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to expedite early drug discovery and enable drug development for the benefit of cancer patients worldwide. The company’s scientifically validated AI platform, PEDAL, is able to predict with 92% accuracy if a tumor sample will respond to a certain drug compound, allowing for a more informed selection of drug/tumor type combinations for subsequent in-vitro testing. Together with the company’s vast biobank of more than 150,000 assay-capable heterogenous human tumor samples, Predictive Oncology offers its academic and industry partners one of the industry’s broadest AI-based drug discovery solutions, further complimented by its wholly owned CLIA laboratory facility. Predictive Oncology is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.
Investor Relations Contact:
Mike Moyer
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
mmoyer@lifesciadvisors.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward- looking statements reflect Predictive Oncology’s current expectations and projections about future events and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions about Predictive Oncology’s operations and the investments Predictive Oncology makes. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue and financial performance, projected costs, prospects, changes in management, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “would,” “target” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Predictive Oncology’s actual future performance may materially differ from that contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, among other things, factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Predictive Oncology’s filings with the SEC. Except as expressly required by law, Predictive Oncology disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Predictive Oncology does not give any assurance that Predictive Oncology will achieve its expectations described in this press release.
