Nucleai, an AI tissue-analysis company based in Israel, is expanding its ongoing collaboration with Gilead Sciences to apply spatial biomarker technology to Gilead's antibody-drug conjugate (a type of targeted cancer drug) development programs.
The platform analyzes tissue images from clinical studies to identify which patients are likely to respond to treatment, producing candidate biomarkers that Gilead expects to present in future scientific publications.
This partnership reflects a growing trend of AI-driven biomarker discovery in oncology drug development.
What happened
Israel-based Nucleai announced it is continuing a translational research collaboration with Gilead Sciences, applying its AI-powered Tissue Intelligence platform to analyze large datasets of tissue images from Gilead's antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) clinical studies across multiple cancer indications. The platform extracts quantitative tissue features—mapping protein expression, tumor diversity, and microenvironment patterns—and links them to patient response data; the work has produced candidate spatial biomarkers intended for future scientific presentations and publications.
Why it matters
ADCs are a major class of cancer drugs, and identifying which patients are likely to respond (via biomarkers) can improve trial design and clinical outcomes. Nucleai's spatial biomarker work strengthens Gilead's ability to predict patient response and accelerate development of drugs in a pipeline the company has expanded through acquisitions, including Germany-based Tubulis in late 2024.
What to watch
Nucleai has established a track record in the ADC space—it previously identified predictive biomarkers in melanoma patients from the SECOMBIT clinical trial in partnership with Bio-Techne Corporation, and joined CellCarta's Digital Pathology and AI Consortium in July 2026. Candidate spatial biomarkers from this Gilead collaboration are expected in future scientific presentations and publications. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Nucleai, an Israel-based artificial intelligence company specializing in tissue analysis, announced it is continuing a translational research collaboration with Gilead Sciences, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. Under the arrangement, Nucleai applies its AI-powered Tissue Intelligence platform to analyze large datasets of tissue images drawn from several of Gilead's clinical studies supporting its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development programs across multiple oncology indications.
The Tissue Intelligence platform works by integrating computational pathology, spatial biology, and clinical outcomes data. It analyzes hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) whole-slide images to extract quantitative tissue features. Specifically, the platform maps protein expression patterns, tumor heterogeneity, and microenvironmental context, then links those tissue features to patient response data. This process generates candidate spatial biomarkers—measurable tissue characteristics that can predict which patients are likely to respond to treatment. Nucleai said the work has already produced candidate spatial biomarkers intended for future scientific presentations and publications. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
This arrangement builds on Nucleai's established expertise in the ADC space. The company previously partnered with Bio-Techne Corporation (Nasdaq: TECH) on a spatial biology workflow that identified predictive biomarkers in melanoma patients from the SECOMBIT clinical trial. In July 2026, Nucleai also joined CellCarta's Digital Pathology and AI Consortium alongside six other AI pathology firms, further cementing its role in the oncology biomarker ecosystem. For Gilead, the partnership adds an AI-driven tissue-analytics capability to an ADC pipeline that has expanded significantly through external acquisitions, including the purchase of Germany-based Tubulis, an ADC specialist whose exclusive option and license agreement Gilead signed in December 2024. Similar collaborations are emerging across the industry: in March 2026, Tempus AI and Daiichi Sankyo announced a comparable AI-driven biomarker partnership in which Tempus deployed its PRISM2 multimodal foundation model to support patient stratification for an undisclosed ADC program.
Nucleai's expansion of its collaboration with Gilead reflects a broader industrial shift toward using AI-powered spatial biomarkers to accelerate oncology drug development. Antibody-drug conjugates are a fast-growing class of targeted cancer therapies, and identifying patient subpopulations most likely to respond is a critical bottleneck in clinical development. By automating the extraction of quantitative tissue features from whole-slide images and linking them to patient outcomes, AI platforms like Nucleai's can reduce the time and cost required to validate biomarker candidates.
For Gilead, the partnership arrives at a strategic moment. The company has aggressively expanded its ADC pipeline through external deals—most notably the acquisition of Tubulis, a Germany-based ADC specialist whose option and license agreement was signed in December 2024. Adding an AI tissue-analytics capability gives Gilead a competitive tool to optimize patient selection and de-risk late-stage trials. The market for such collaborations is already active: in March 2026, Tempus AI and Daiichi Sankyo struck a comparable AI-driven biomarker partnership in which Tempus deployed its PRISM2 multimodal foundation model to support patient stratification for an undisclosed ADC program.
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