Orakl Oncology, a French oncology startup focused on cancer drug development, has secured €11 million in seed funding.
The round was led by Singular with participation from Bpifrance, including the Grand Prix i Lab, and existing investors. The funds will be used to accelerate the commercial launch of its AI-powered solutions, O-Predict and O-Validate, and to strengthen strategic collaborations with pharmaceutical partners.
Dr. Fanny Jaulin, CEO and Co-Founder of Orakl Oncology, shared the company’s mission: “Our mission at Orakl is to revolutionise drug development by offering an unparalleled decision-making platform that empowers drug developers to de-risk clinical trials and expedite the availability of new transformative medicines. By addressing the urgent unmet needs in digestive cancers, we aim to redefine the future of precision medicine and deliver breakthroughs that patients desperately need.”
Founded in 2023 as a spin-off from the Gustave Roussy Institute, a leading European cancer research centre, Orakl was co-founded by Dr. Fanny Jaulin, Dr. Diane-Laure Pagès, and Dr. Gustave Ronteix. The company aims to address a bottleneck in oncology drug development: the low success rate of clinical trials, with only 4% of drug candidates reaching patients. Traditional models often fail due to inaccuracies and disjointed data.
Orakl’s technology leverages machine learning, advanced cell biology, and engineering to create patient avatars that simulate real-life drug responses. Initially targeting colorectal and pancreatic cancers—according to Orakl these are both areas of major unmet medical need—the platform enables drug developers to predict clinical trial outcomes, discover new therapeutic targets, validate biomarkers, and identify optimal drug combinations. This approach positions Orakl as a potentially vital partner for biotech and pharmaceutical companies seeking to optimise their pipelines and improve trial success rates.
Prof. Fabrice Barlesi, General Director of Gustave Roussy, commented: “As Europe’s
leading cancer center and a pioneer in precision medicine, we are proud to innovate through our spin-off, Orakl, which develops ex vivo patient avatars for therapeutic decision-making and accelerates the discovery of next-generation cancer therapies.”
The company’s flagship products, O-Predict and O-Validate, are designed to further oncology drug development. O-Predict focuses on forecasting patient responses, evaluating new drug efficacy, and designing combination therapies, while O-Validate provides robust biological evidence to support target validation and data-driven decisions across all stages of drug development.
Jeremy Uzan, General Partner at Singular, highlighted the team’s expertise: “A key strength of Orakl lies in its team – a mix of deep expertise in cancer research, cell biology, and computational biology. With the recent addition of Jessica Atkinson as Business Advisor, the company is better positioned than ever to forge strategic partnerships in the pharmaceutical sector. Backed by a solid scientific foundation and a clear business focus, Orakl is set to drive meaningful progress in oncology—and we are proud to support the team on this journey.”
The funds raised will enable Orakl to build a dedicated business team and develop strategic partnerships in the clinical oncology market. Jessica Atkinson, an experienced professional with a background at Merck and Foundation Medicine, has joined as Business Advisor to spearhead these efforts.
This latest round follows a €3 million pre-seed investment in 2023 led by Speedinvest, with contributions from HCVC and Verve Ventures. Together with support from the Fondation Jean-Jacques et Felicia Lopez Loreta pour l’Excellence Scientifique, Orakl has raised nearly €15 million to date.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2024/12/villejuif-based-orakl-oncology-raises-e11-million-to-launch-ai-powered-drug-development-tools/
