GSK has committed $50 million in upfront capital and near-term milestones to secure a license to two cancer research foundation models from Noetik.
San Francisco-based Noetik has used spatial biology data to train its self-supervised artificial intelligence models. The work has generated models for matching therapeutic targets to patient subpopulations and predicting clinical efficacy. Having partnered with Agenus in 2025, Noetik is now kicking off the new year by unveiling a five-year strategic collaboration and AI model licensing agreement with GSK.
The deal gives GSK a nonexclusive license to Noetik’s foundation models in non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer. The models simulate gene expression, cell states and tumor-immune interactions to enable researchers to answer questions about cancer biology. Kim Branson, Ph.D., global head of artificial intelligence and machine learning at GSK, discussed what led to the deal with Noetik.
“Foundation models are only as good as the underlying training data they are built upon. Noetik’s approach to generating high-quality spatial data at scale to train foundation models is novel,” Branson said in a statement. “Integration of these models in GSK’s drug discovery and development process has the potential to deepen our understanding of biology and support our development of novel medicines.”
GSK plans to work with Noetik to generate bespoke human spatial datasets. The collaboration is part of an ongoing relationship between the companies, which will see GSK pay annual licensing fees to access the colorectal and lung cancer models as part of a subscription-based framework.
Noetik CEO and co-founder Ron Alfa, M.D., Ph.D., said the licensing of human foundation models is “a new paradigm in biotech.” With the GSK deal validating the paradigm, in Alfa’s view, Noetik believes it has defined a new asset class and started driving the AI sector from service collaborations to infrastructure licensing.
Alfa and fellow co-founder Jacob Rinaldi worked at Recursion Pharmaceuticals before setting up Noetik. The startup raised a $40 million series A round in 2024 to scale training of its cancer foundation models.