Cures Within Reach Opens Call to Fund Clinical Trials that Validate AI-Generated Drug-Disease Repurposing Matches
illi News/10302424

CHICAGO - illiNews -- Cures Within Reach (CWR), a global nonprofit that identifies and funds clinical trials testing approved therapies for unsolved diseases, has opened the first funding call of its kind to fund investigator-initiated, proof-of-concept clinical trials testing already approved medicines (medical repurposing) while clinically validating artificial intelligence (AI)-generated drug–disease matches. These trials will use critical preclinical data generated by AI to build the clinical data required for regulatory approval or off-label use.

"Our clinical trial funding program will empower clinicians anywhere to leverage sophisticated AI models for identifying and validating promising drug repurposing opportunities," said Barbara Goodman, president and CEO, Cures Within Reach. "By supporting the validation trials of these AI-generated drug-disease matches by researchers worldwide, we are removing barriers that have historically slowed medical progress. The public availability of these data will be critical in the ongoing AI model refinement and has the potential to accelerate global research and ensure that potentially life-saving treatments can reach patients everywhere, regardless of geography or resources. This approach, combined with our 20-year track record of successfully de-risking viable treatments to build the clinical evidence needed for both on-and off-label use by physicians, creates a powerful new pathway for addressing unmet medical needs more quickly and cost-effectively."

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This AI Validation Request for Proposals (RFP) is open to submissions from clinical investigators from nonprofit research institutions based anywhere in the world, for trials in any disease (with a preference for rare diseases). These Phase I/IIA clinical trials will be testing already approved on- or off-patent drugs, biologics and eligible cellular/gene therapies, and each submission must include AI model data as part of the preclinical support – whether the AI model was developed by nonprofits, for profits or government agencies and whether it is open and accessible to the public or closed / proprietary.

In addition, with support from lead funding partner the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), each selected clinical trial can also receive separate funding for important community engagement activities alongside the trial to expand inclusion of a broad spectrum of patients in clinical research.

Patient/disease organizations around the world are encouraged to collaborate with AI models and developers to support Letter of Intent (LOI) submissions by their clinical research partners to validate AI hypotheses, building the clinical data required for fast-track access by patients and their treating physicians anywhere.

"The integration of AI into biomedical research is changing how we identify drug candidates, disease targets and therapeutic strategies," said Jeanie Kim, program manager at CZI. "CWR's deep engagement with patient communities and long-standing leadership in accelerating repurposed treatments will be a powerful lens through which to evaluate the promise of AI-driven predictions, particularly for rare diseases and other under-incentivized disease areas."

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LOI submissions are due August 25, 2025. Top ranked LOIs will be invited to submit full proposals this Fall with funding decisions by early 2026. Visit https://bit.ly/cwrrfps for more info and to start an LOI submission.

About Cures Within Reach
Cures Within Reach (CWR) is a US-based nonprofit leader testing already approved therapies for unsolved diseases by leveraging the speed, safety and cost-effectiveness of repurposing: driving more treatments to more patients more quickly. CWR provides seed funds for pivotal studies that, when successful, allow a catalytic effect of follow-on funding for trials that build clinical evidence for physicians to make decisions with their patients (called off-label use) or for regulatory approval. In addition to these AI validation trials, CWR's other 2025 initiatives include clinical trials impacting veterans, pediatrics and low and lower-middle income country (LMIC)-based patients. CWR currently has a global portfolio of 53 funded trials at 41 institutions in 39 diseases in 12 countries. Visit cureswithinreach.org or contact Info@CuresWithinReach.org for more information.

About the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society's toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our communities. We support the science and technology to make it possible to cure, prevent and manage all diseases by the end of this century. Through collaboration, providing resources and building technology, our mission is to help build a more inclusive, just and healthy future for everyone. For more information, please visit chanzuckerberg.com.