Accelerate artificial intelligence research to benefit health—such is the shared objective underpinning the agreement signed by Inserm and the start-up Owkin, specialized in machine learning applied to biological and medical research. The tools developed by Owkin, combined with the mass of health data either produced or used by Inserm, will lead to the development of disruptive innovations unprecedented in the field of medical and clinical research.

At a time when Emmanuel Macron intends to position France as an artificial intelligence giant, Cédric Villani has just presented his report highlighting four priority fields, including health: Inserm and Owkin are fully committed to this ambition. The research agreement that binds together the two partners today will allow Inserm researchers to benefit from SOCRATES artificial intelligence software developed by Owkin.

The Owkin SOCRATES platform is aimed at academic or hospital researchers, as well as pharmaceutical industry researchers, to help them discover and develop new drugs. It uses machine learning technologies to analyze medical imaging libraries, genomic molecular data, and clinical data sets in order to discover complex biomarker models associated with diseases or variable responses to treatments.

“Joining forces with Inserm will allow us to pool our efforts toward a shared objective. The partnership is a sign of our determination to drive research forward with a view to gaining a better understanding of diseases and making new discoveries. Our goal is to use artificial intelligence to analyze existing data and uncover new research avenues, broadening access to artificial intelligence technologies for researchers, in the hope that this will result in new treatment strategies,” explains Gilles Wainrib, co-founder and scientific director at Owkin.

According to Yves Levy, Chairman and CEO of Inserm: “This partnership with Owkin is emblematic of how academic research and the very best French talent should join forces to generate knowledge of the highest quality. There is no doubt that artificial intelligence will lead to significant benefits for research, medical practice, and the national health-care system as a whole, underpinned by a rigorous scientific approach and solid ethics. Our role as a public research institute is to do all we can to make sure this happens quickly and smoothly.”