Lunit partners with Summit Therapeutics for AI biomarker research

Lunit, a South Korean medical AI company, has announced a research collaboration with Summit Therapeutics, a US-based Nasdaq-listed biotechnology firm, to develop AI biomarkers for the next-generation immunotherapy ivonescimab.

The partnership will utilize Lunit’s AI pathology platform, ‘Lunit SCOPE IO’, to analyze the tumor microenvironment. By examining H&E tissue slides, the technology can identify the distribution of cancer and immune cells, as well as spatial interactions between cells, without requiring additional staining. This data will be used to identify patient groups most likely to respond to treatment and to support the biological understanding of ivonescimab’s efficacy.

Ivonescimab is a first-in-class bispecific antibody targeting both PD-1 and VEGF. Summit Therapeutics holds the rights to develop and commercialize the drug in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Japan. The drug has shown positive data in clinical trials, including superiority in overall survival compared to standard immunotherapy for certain non-small cell lung cancer patients. AstraZeneca previously announced a $2 billion strategic investment in Summit Therapeutics.