Lisata and GATC Forge Alliance to Advance AI-Discovered Opioid Use Disorder Therapy into Clinical Trials

Lisata and GATC Expand Alliance to Accelerate Drug Development with AI

Lisata Therapeutics and GATC Health Corp. have deepened their strategic partnership to improve drug discovery and development using artificial intelligence. This collaboration combines Lisata’s expertise in drug development with GATC’s AI-powered Multiomics Advanced Technology® (MAT) platform.

Building on previous AI analyses by GATC supporting Lisata’s certepetide drug candidate, the expanded alliance aims to identify new combination therapies across multiple therapeutic areas. The MAT platform provides predictions on safety, efficacy, and side effects, helping reduce risk in development.

Advancing a Novel Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder

Lisata will lead development efforts for GATC’s AI-discovered drug candidate targeting opioid use disorder (OUD). This non-opioid small molecule has shown a significant reduction in fentanyl intake in preclinical murine models. The candidate is set to enter Phase 1 human trials early in 2026.

The collaboration leverages Lisata’s regulatory and clinical development experience, combining it with GATC’s AI capabilities to speed up the process while enhancing the probability of success.

How GATC’s MAT Platform Supports Drug Development

GATC’s Multiomics Advanced Technology® platform simulates human biochemistry to evaluate drug candidates quickly. Its reports rank key success metrics and explain why a compound is likely to succeed or fail. Validated by the University of California, Irvine, the platform achieves an 86% sensitivity and 91% specificity in predictions.

Such predictive analytics may soon align with FDA’s New Approach Methodologies, which focus on human-relevant data instead of traditional animal models.

Pipeline Acceleration with Combined Expertise

Jayson Uffens, CTO at GATC, highlighted that the MAT platform efficiently identifies promising drug candidates, with the OUD asset as a prime example. Lisata brings nearly 200 years of combined drug development experience, a proven regulatory track record, and operational efficiency to the partnership.

Under the agreement, GATC covers R&D expenses for its assets. Lisata receives milestone payments and royalties on net sales for commercialized products. GATC also earns licensing fees for assets acquired by Lisata.

Company Profiles

• Lisata Therapeutics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on innovative therapies for advanced solid tumors and serious diseases. Its lead candidate, certepetide, enhances delivery of anti-cancer drugs to tumors using a novel uptake pathway.
• GATC Health Corp. uses AI-driven approaches to transform drug discovery and development. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Irvine, CA, GATC’s MAT platform models disease states and predicts drug outcomes with over 85% precision.

About GATC’s OUD Candidate

The opioid use disorder drug candidate is a novel non-opioid therapy discovered through AI and multiomics. It targets receptors to restore dopamine balance and improve cognitive flexibility and mood. Preclinical data show it significantly reduces fentanyl self-administration in animal models.

This differentiated approach addresses the low treatment rates in addiction and could become a strong contender in the addiction treatment market.

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