Healx and SCI Ventures Collaborate to Accelerate AI-Driven Therapies for Spinal Cord Injury and Beyond

Healx and SCI Ventures have joined forces to accelerate the discovery and development of therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI) using artificial intelligence. This first-of-its-kind collaboration brings together Healx's expertise in AI-powered drug discovery with SCI Ventures' deep scientific knowledge and unique dataset access, aiming to uncover new and effective treatments for a condition that affects over 20 million people worldwide and offers limited therapeutic options. Based in Cambridge, England, Healx is a leader in leveraging AI to find treatments for rare and neglected diseases. SCI Ventures, the world's first venture fund dedicated to curing paralysis, is backed by prominent foundations in the U.S., U.K., and EU, including the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Wings for Life, Spinal Research, Promobilia, and the Shepherd Center. This alliance underscores a commitment to advancing neuroregeneration research and treatment, an area with significant unmet medical needs. SCI Ventures's investment in Healx will initiate a program targeting chronic spinal cord injury, a condition with substantial healthcare costs—lifetime care can range from $3 million to $6 million per patient. By focusing on AI-driven target discovery and drug repurposing, the partnership aims to significantly reduce the time it takes to move from lab to clinic. The recent availability of extensive multi-omic neuro-regeneration datasets makes this collaboration especially timely and promising. Tim Guilliams, Co-founder and CEO of Healx, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership: "This collaboration will enable us to push the boundaries of AI-driven drug discovery for neurotrauma. Spinal cord injury is a clear test case for our approach; while its mechanics and biology are well understood, effective treatments have been elusive. If we can unlock progress here, it could pave the way for a new generation of AI-powered therapies for previously incurable conditions." Adrien Cohen, Founding Managing Director of SCI Ventures, added: "Technological advancements have made the recovery from paralysis a real possibility for the first time in history. We are excited to partner with Healx to pioneer a new frontier in neuroregeneration using cutting-edge AI. By combining our clinical insights with Healx's AI capabilities, we aspire to deliver functional restoration and potentially a cure within this generation." While the initial focus is on chronic SCI, the partnership's impact will likely extend to other central nervous system (CNS) conditions. These include traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The biological stability and well-defined nature of spinal cord injury make it an ideal starting point for generating insights that can be applied to advance treatments in a broader range of neurodegenerative and neurotraumatic disorders. About Healx Healx is a mission-driven technology company that uses advanced AI to expedite the discovery and development of treatments for rare and underserved conditions. By identifying novel connections between drugs and diseases, Healx's platform accelerates the process of creating effective therapies that are both faster and more cost-efficient. About SCI Ventures SCI Ventures is the world's first specialized venture fund dedicated to finding innovative treatments for people living with paralysis. Co-founded by leading global foundations and advised by top-tier neuroscientists, SCI Ventures focuses on catalyzing the development of next-generation therapies, emphasizing technologies that restore function and strive for cures.