Altis Labs raises $25M to make AI a new oncology trial standard
What's the deal? Altis LabsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Toronto-based AI software company for drug development, has closed a $25 million Series A. The round was co-led by OrbiMed and Qiming Venture Partners USADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with participation from Innovation Endeavors, BenchstrengthDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Fusion FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Lumira VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → via the Cancer Breakthrough FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Altis builds AI models trained on real-world survival outcomes to predict long-term clinical benefit that conventional imaging endpoints miss. Its flagship model, IPRO, generates survival predictions from routine radiology scans, helping drug developers detect treatment effects earlier.
What's the money for? The company plans to expand its AI models across more cancer types, scale commercial deployment with global biopharma partners, and establish AI endpoints as a new standard for oncology trials.
Why it matters: Oncology trials rely on measures like objective response rate (ORR), which offer an incomplete view of whether patients live longer. Each early go/no-go call carries hundreds of millions of dollars in R&D and billions in commercial value, so weak predictors can kill promising drugs or advance ones that later fail.
In Johnson & Johnson's independent analysis of the Phase 3 MARIPOSA trial, Altis's IPRO Response Rate detected a statistically significant treatment effect 11 months before the primary PFS readout and 26 months before the final overall survival readout — where ORR failed to predict the benefit.
What they're saying: "Every clinical trial is fundamentally a learning process, and right now it is a slow one," said founder and chief executive officer Felix Baldauf-Lenschen. OrbiMed partner Tal Zaks said the approach can "meaningfully de-risk and accelerate clinical development."
The signal: AI has made faster progress finding drug candidates than proving they work in patients, leaving a gap for tools that speed clinical development. The round ranks among the largest 10% of all-time Series A deals for Canadian health startups, a sign investors see AI endpoints as a real new category.
Read more: businesswire.com
Image credit: Altis Labs
