Healx, a pioneer in AI-powered drug discovery for rare and neglected conditions, has partnered with SCI Ventures - the world’s first specialist venture fund focused on curing paralysis- to accelerate the discovery and development of therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI) using artificial intelligence. This first-of-its kind collaboration will apply Healx’s cutting-edge AI platform to identify new promising treatments for SCI — a life-altering condition affecting over 20 million people globally, with limited treatment options.

Uniting AI Innovation and Neuroregeneration Expertise

This partnership combines the machine learning and drug discovery expertise of Healx with the deep scientific insight, domain expertise, and unique dataset access of SCI Ventures. Backed by leading foundations in the US, UK and EU such as the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Wings for Life, Spinal Research, Promobilia and the Shepherd Center, SCI Ventures brings unmatched credibility and commitment to the neuroregeneration space.

SCI Ventures’s investment in Healx will kick start a first program targeted at chronic spinal cord injury — a large unmet medical need, and one of the most expensive medical conditions to manage with lifetime care costs reaching US $3-6 million per patient.

Accelerating Treatments to Patients Living with a Spinal Cord Injury

By prioritising AI driven target-discovery strategies and drug repurposing, the partnership will dramatically shorten the path from discovery to clinical application. Given the recent explosion in multi-omic neuro-regeneration datasets this collaboration is very timely.

“This partnership will allow us to further push the boundaries of what’s possible in AI-driven drug discovery for neurotrauma,” said Tim Guiliams. Co-founder and CEO of Healx. “Spinal cord injury is one of the clearest test cases for our approach - whilst the mechanics and biology is well understood, treatments have lagged behind. If we can unlock progress here, it could open the door to a new generation of AI-powered therapies for previously incurable conditions.”

Adrien Cohen, Founding Managing Director of SCI Ventures added:

“Recent technological advancements have made recovery from paralysis a real possibility for the first time in history. We are thrilled to partner with Healx to pioneer a new frontier in neuroregeneration using cutting-edge AI technology. By pairing our clinic-ready insight with Healx’s AI engine, we aim to make this the first generation that does not have to live with paralysis for the rest of their lives.”

Unlocking Broader Impact in adjacent Neuro conditions

While the first target is chronic SCI, the collaboration’s impact will extend across a broader spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) conditions. Spinal cord injury is a biologically well-defined and stable condition, which makes it an ideal strategic indication to generate insights and fast track innovation in other neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s (PD) and Alzheimer’s (AD) — opening the door to potential breakthroughs across the broader neurodegenerative and neurotrauma landscape.

About Healx

Healx is a mission-driven technology company pioneering the use of AI to accelerate the discovery and development of treatments for rare and underserved conditions. Its platform leverages advanced machine learning to identify novel connections between drugs and diseases, enabling faster, cheaper and more effective therapy development.

About SCI Ventures

SCI Ventures is the world’s first mission-driven fund focused on innovative therapies for people living with paralysis. Co-founded by leading global foundations and advised by world-class neuroscientists, SCI Ventures aims to catalyze the development of the next generation of treatments with an emphasis on technology to restore function and cure-oriented therapies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250701300647/en/

Healx and SCI Ventures partner to discover AI-driven treatments for paralysis, targeting spinal cord injury and paving the way for breakthroughs in neuroregeneration.