A new data partnership will feed Bioptimus’s tissue atlas with one of the UK’s biggest colorectal cancer resources. Cancer Research Horizons, the innovation engine of Cancer Research UK, and the Paris AI biotech announced the deal this week.
The resource is called S:CORT, shorthand for the Stratification in COloRectal cancer Trial. It holds more than 1,750 UK patient profiles, each pulling together as many as six data types: imaging, genomic, transcriptomic, clinical records, and layered molecular and cellular profiling, plus long-term outcomes.
The company plans to train and evaluate STELA, its Spatial Tissue Embedding Learning Atlas foundation model, on the cohort, and to use it as a benchmark for M-Optimus. Chief executive Jean-Philippe Vert said the combination of imaging, genomics, and outcomes is the kind of depth that lets the models be tested against real clinical needs.
It is the third STELA data agreement in five months. A June deal with France’s Federation Francophone de Cancerologie Digestive brought in a cohort of more than 3,000 gastrointestinal cancer patients.
The startup spun out of Google DeepMind and Owkin in February 2024, raised $35M in seed money led by Sofinnova Partners and Bpifrance, then added $41M led by Cathay Innovation. Financial terms with Cancer Research Horizons were not disclosed.
