Boehringer Ingelheim and Microsoft have formed a collaboration to investigate whether artificial intelligence models of individual patients can improve clinical trial design and evidence generation, beginning with lung health.
The research will focus on Digital Patient Twins, computational representations that use clinical and other relevant data to predict disease progression and potential outcomes under different scenarios.
The companies will examine disease-progression modeling, outcome prediction and trial simulation across multiple diseases and therapeutic areas. Their work will assess scientific and technical feasibility through modeling, prototypes and evidence generation.
One focus is whether these methods could support synthetic or hybrid control arms as alternatives to conventional clinical control groups. Synthetic approaches use existing data, while hybrid approaches combine existing data with a conventional control group.
The partners aim to determine whether such tools could reduce the number of patients required in control groups, improve study design and generate clinical evidence more efficiently. These remain research objectives rather than demonstrated outcomes of the collaboration.
Boehringer Chief Medical Officer Lykke Hinsch Gylvin said scientific quality, patient safety and regulatory requirements must be maintained as the company evaluates AI-enabled research methods.
The partnership also includes security and data center modernization to support the technology infrastructure needed for AI applications. The companies are exploring additional development projects in animal health, business processes and technology infrastructure.
The work builds on Boehringer’s deployment of Microsoft Copilot and broader efforts to introduce AI across its operations. Those efforts combine employee access with role-specific applications, training, governance and secure technology systems to support responsible use throughout its business.
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