For countless cancer patients, the journey through treatment is fraught with uncertainty. Standard therapies may fail, and new drug development often takes years, leaving many without timely options. However, a groundbreaking advancement from Predictive Oncology is poised to change this narrative. By harnessing artificial intelligence and a unique biobank of patient-derived tumor cells, Predictive Oncology has developed a methodology that breathes new life into abandoned oncology drugs, offering renewed hope for patients in a remarkably short timeframe.
Their innovative approach to drug repurposing leverages AI-driven screening to identify new uses for compounds previously shelved by pharmaceutical companies.

In just 12 weeks—a fraction of the time typically required for drug development—their platform pinpointed three compounds, Afuresertib, Alisertib, and Entinostat, that demonstrated significant efficacy against ovarian and colon tumors.

Even more promising, Alisertib and Entinostat outperformed current standard-of-care treatments like Oxaliplatin in colon cancer models, while Alisertib also surpassed Ribociclib in breast cancer models. These results signal a potential lifeline for patients who have exhausted conventional therapies.

Predictive Ocology AI’s methodology tackles this challenge head-on by using AI to analyze data from their proprietary biobank, which contains over 150,000 patient-derived tumor samples. This allows the platform to identify specific patient cohorts most likely to respond to a given compound. For patients, this means a greater chance of receiving a treatment tailored to their unique tumor profile, potentially improving outcomes and reducing the trial-and-error approach that can erode both time and hope.
Repurposing abandoned drugs also addresses a critical gap in oncology care. Many compounds show promise in early trials but fail to benefit broad populations, leading companies to abandon them. Yet, within these failures lies untapped potential for specific patient groups. For patients with aggressive cancers like ovarian or colon cancer, where time is of the essence, the ability to repurpose a drug in under three months could mean the difference between life and loss.
Beyond speed, the platform’s precision offers a beacon of hope for those facing limited treatment options. By identifying which patients are most likely to benefit from a repurposed drug, POAI’s technology reduces the risk of ineffective treatments, sparing patients the physical and emotional toll of therapies unlikely to work.
Moreover, the broader impact of drug repurposing extends to rare and underserved cancers, where new drug development is often economically unfeasible for pharmaceutical companies. By reviving abandoned compounds, POAI’s technology could bring treatments to patients with less common cancers, who are frequently overlooked in traditional drug development pipelines. This democratization of access to effective therapies underscores the human value of repurposing, ensuring that more patients, regardless of their cancer type, have a fighting chance.