Lithuania-based bioinformatics company VUGENE, has entered a strategic collaboration with leading Contract Research Organization (CRO) Inotiv.
The partnership is designed to accelerate AI-assisted drug discovery by integrating VUGENE’s cloud-based multi-omics analysis platform into Inotiv’s Discovery & Translational Sciences Division. This move also marks VUGENE’s significant entry into the pharmaceutical services market.
Enhancing Data Interpretation for Drug Development
The core of the collaboration involves applying VUGENE’s AI-enabled platform to interpret complex datasets, including epigenomic, proteomic, and other molecular data, within Inotiv’s research workflows. The goal is to improve the prediction of drug efficacy and safety in early-stage research by providing more efficient and intelligent data analysis. Scott Daniels, PhD, Senior Vice President at Inotiv, stated that the platform gives their team “a powerful tool to advance data-driven, AI-assisted discovery,” enabling faster client decisions.
Juozas Gordevičius, PhD, Founder and CTO of VUGENE, highlighted the synergy between the companies, noting Inotiv’s focus on target biology and disease modeling. “Together we can combine advanced multi-omics bioinformatics and AI with experimental expertise to accelerate scientific breakthroughs and improve human health,” Gordevičius said. The partnership aims to leverage VUGENE’s computational prowess alongside Inotiv’s extensive experimental and developmental services.
Proven Expertise in Epigenetic Analysis
VUGENE is also working with the Clock Foundation, focusing on longevity and aging research. The company has developed an automated analysis and AI modeling platform to process epigenetic clock data, performing over 3,000 studies to date.
Their solutions include automated pipelines for machine learning and statistical testing, scalable parallel processing, and the training of AI models to create novel epigenetic age predictors. This work was recently recognized with an Impact Award from the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation, the US Embassy in Lithuania, and Inovacijų agentūra.
