State Awards Company $5 Million To Test Medicines With Artificial Intelligence

As overdose rates continue to rise nationally, a health company with West Virginia ties will soon receive $5 million in state funds to further research on substance use disorders.

GATC West Virginia — an in-state hub of the health technology company GATC Health — will use the new investment to develop medical treatments through artificial intelligence.

The company uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict how effective and safe new medicines will be, and to preemptively identify side effects.

New treatments must still be tested using clinical trials. But GATC claims using simulations can increase the likelihood of a medication’s success and expedite the development process.

Provided by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority and West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust, the new funding will allow GATC to hire tens of new employees at their location in Morgantown.

In a Friday press release, Gov. Jim Justice said the collaboration would put West Virginia at the forefront of developing health technology.

“West Virginia is leading the way in revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry and making a huge difference in medicine discovery,” Justice said. “This initiative places West Virginia on the map as a leader of innovation as we bring cutting-edge technology right to our backyard to find effective medicines.”