Onco-Innovations Limited and Redwood AI Inc. have received grant support through the Digital Health Innovation Fund associated with the Digital Health and Discovery Platform led by the Terry Fox Research Institute. The funding will advance a project titled Causal AI to Predict First-in-Human Clinical Outcomes from Preclinical and Real-World Clinico-Genomic Data. The initiative brings together industry expertise and academic partners GSC and CRCHUQ to strengthen predictive modelling for cancer therapy development.
Collaborative Project Objectives
The project is being developed jointly by the grant co-applicants, with GSC and CRCHUQ contributing clinico-genomic and imaging data in a federated learning framework. This framework is intended to preserve data privacy while enabling useful model training across institutional boundaries. The collaboration aims to generate first-in-human clinical outcome predictions from preclinical information and real-world data sources.
Onco-Innovations is contributing its strengths in causal artificial intelligence methods and federated pipeline development. Redwood AI will provide proprietary expertise in contributory data, feature engineering, and physicochemical property evaluation. Together the partners are seeking to demonstrate how Canadian artificial intelligence companies can work with complex multimodal data to advance therapeutic innovation.
SynoGraph Platform Development
The grant supports Onco-Innovations' continued development of SynoGraph, a technology designed to help predict clinical outcomes and guide novel therapy development. Redwood AI's data integration and physicochemical modelling methods are expected to expand the predictive core of the platform. The project combines Redwood AI's chemical modelling experience with Onco-Innovations' expertise in causal artificial intelligence to target more reliable early-stage clinical predictions.
According to the companies, the grant reflects confidence in a collaborative approach that links scientific excellence with practical pathways to commercialization. Onco-Innovations believes SynoGraph has the potential to help set a new standard in clinical outcome prediction and therapeutic development. These ambitions align with the broader goal of advancing precision medicine through secure data sharing and artificial intelligence.
Funding and Institutional Context
The Digital Health and Discovery Platform is a pan-Canadian initiative led by the Terry Fox Research Institute, with an allocation of $49 million through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Its Digital Health Innovation Fund supports projects that bring together health researchers, artificial intelligence and data scientists, and industry partners. The program focuses on secure health data sharing to accelerate precision medicine research and improve outcomes for Canadians.
The Terry Fox Research Institute was established in 2007 and invests in world-class collaborative cancer research teams and partnerships across Canada. It connects leading scientists, clinicians, and institutions through flagship research programs and national precision medicine initiatives. Its mandate includes accelerating cancer discoveries and translating research into improved patient care, with a focus on transforming how cancer is detected, diagnosed, treated, and ultimately prevented.
Company Profiles and Strategic Fit
Onco-Innovations Limited is a preclinical-stage precision oncology company headquartered in Calgary. Under an exclusive licence from the University of Alberta, it is developing PNKP inhibitors, a new class of DNA damage response therapy, with clinical translation anticipated in mid-2027. Its lead candidate ONC010 pairs a PNKP inhibitor with a nanoparticle delivery system to exploit synthetic lethality and sensitize tumours to DNA-damaging therapies.
Redwood AI is a technology company focused on advanced artificial intelligence and cybersecurity solutions for defence, public safety, and life sciences. Its technology spans quantum cybersecurity, scientific research, and advanced chemistry applications. The company's tools help organizations prepare for quantum-enabled cybersecurity threats while supporting faster and more efficient therapy and chemistry development.
By combining Onco-Innovations' causal AI capabilities with Redwood AI's physicochemical data methods and academic clinico-genomic resources, the project represents a coordinated Canadian effort to improve early clinical prediction. The grant provides a pathway for translating multimodal data into practical tools for precision oncology. If successful, the collaboration may help reduce uncertainty in first-in-human studies and support the development of more targeted cancer therapies.