HistoIndex, a pioneer in AI-driven digital pathology for fibrotic diseases, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore's lead public sector R&D agency, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the preclinical evaluation and characterization of therapeutic candidates for various fibrotic diseases, including cancer-associated fibrosis.

The partnership will bring together A*STAR's scientific expertise and therapeutic development capabilities with HistoIndex's proprietary imaging technology and AI-powered fully quantitative tissue analysis. By providing objective, sensitive and accurate measures of fibrosis and treatment response, HistoIndex's platform will support the rigorous evaluation of A*STAR's pipeline of therapeutic candidates and help researchers make more informed decisions on which candidates to advance.

"Fibrotic diseases, including cancer-associated fibrosis, remain challenging to evaluate during early-development. Understanding whether a therapeutic candidate can prevent, halt or reverse fibrosis requires accurate and objective measurement of changes in fibrotic tissue. This collaboration will help us assess these effects more rigorously and make better-informed development decisions, ultimately helping to advance innovations that improve patient outcomes," said Dr Lisa Ooi, Assistant Chief Executive of A*STAR's Biomedical Research Council (BMRC).

"As one of A*STAR's early medtech spin-offs, this partnership holds special significance for HistoIndex. We are delighted to bring our globally validated and widely adopted technology back to Singapore, where our journey began, and to collaborate with the research community to identify promising therapies and advance precision medicine for a broad range of fibrotic diseases across multiple organs," said Dr Gideon Ho, Chief Executive Officer of HistoIndex.

Beyond the evaluation of therapeutic candidates, the collaboration will also provide a platform for scientific exchange between A*STAR and HistoIndex, with opportunities to explore areas such as biomarker discovery, translational research, joint therapeutic development and commercialisation.

Separately, HistoIndex will showcase its digital pathology and AI-based tissue analysis capabilities at this year's AASLD The Liver Meeting^® Exhibition in Denver, Colorado.