Roman Kasianov

A global team of researchers has carried out what may be the most ambitious attempt yet to test two of the most influential theories of consciousness: Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT). Published today in Nature, the study used multiple brain imaging techniques to monitor what happens in the brain when people consciously perceive images.

Nurix Therapeutics presented new data at the 2025 AACR Annual Meeting supporting the capabilities of its DEL-AI platform—a machine learning–powered system designed to accelerate discovery of small molecule binders using DNA-encoded library (DEL) data. According to Nurix, its DEL Foundation Model can predict novel binders to a wide range of therapeutically relevant targets, including proteins historically considered undruggable.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new initiative to expand the use of human-based research technologies while reducing reliance on animal models, establishing a dedicated Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application (ORIVA) to coordinate these efforts across its biomedical portfolio. 

The initiative aims to scale non-animal methods—organoids, tissue chips, computational models, and real-world data analysis—while increasing funding, training, and infrastructure to support their widespread adoption.

San Francisco-based startup founded by Brandon White and Alex Beatson has announced $15 million in seed funding from Amplify Partners, Dimension Capital, and Zetta Ventures, with participation from angels including Jeff Dean, Laksh Aithani, Barry McCardel, Alec Nielsen, Ari Morcos, Stef van Grieken, and Elliot Hershberg.

Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: TEM) announced the launch of Tempus Loop, a proprietary oncology-focused platform designed to streamline target discovery and validation by integrating real-world patient data (RWD), human-derived biological models, and high-throughput CRISPR-based functional screens. 

The platform aims to address persistent challenges in translating preclinical findings into successful patient treatments, an area where the industry still sees a 90% failure rate.

Paige and NHS Wales have launched a pilot project at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) to evaluate the clinical utility of Paige PanCancer Detect—an AI-powered pathology triage tool trained on over three million digital slides. The project marks the first clinical use of the system and will assess its ability to assist pathologists by flagging potentially malignant cases for priority review.

Seattle-based startup Potato has raised $4.5 million in seed funding to accelerate development of its AI platform for automating scientific research. The company, founded in 2023 by neuroscientist Nick Edwards and technologist Ryan Kosai, is developing agent-driven systems to support a closed-loop model of science—from hypothesis generation to experimental execution and analysis.

The company name references the potato battery experiment—a nod to building complex tools from simple foundations.

Tempus has announced new multi-year agreements with AstraZeneca and Pathos AI to co-develop what is described as the largest multimodal foundation model in oncology. 

The model will be trained on Tempus’ de-identified oncology datasets and is intended to support research across biological insight generation, target discovery, and therapeutic development. All three partners will have access to the resulting model for use in their respective R&D efforts. The deal includes $200 million in combined fees for data licensing and model development.

Elix and PRISM BioLab have announced a partnership aimed at advancing drug discovery for protein-protein interaction (PPI) targets—an area long considered difficult to address with small molecules. The collaboration brings together Elix’s AI-driven compound design capabilities and PRISM BioLab’s small molecule scaffolds that mimic structural motifs found in intracellular protein interfaces.

The Coller Dolittle Challenge has announced its shortlist of four research teams competing for its inaugural $100,000 annual prize, part of a long-term effort to develop scientifically rigorous models of two-way interspecies communication using artificial intelligence. 

Backed by the Jeremy Coller Foundation and administered by Tel Aviv University, the challenge offers a $10 million Grand Prize to any team that achieves sustained, autonomous communication with a non-human species—defined as an animal initiating communication independently, without recognizing the presence of a human recipient.