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Acurion Unveils Rebrand, New Leadership Team, and Series A Fundraising Launch

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LA JOLLA, Calif., April 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Acurion, formerly known as io9, today announced its official rebranding as part of a strategic initiative to align with its evolving mission and future vision. The transformation includes a refreshed brand identity and the appointment of a dynamic leadership team to drive the company’s next phase of growth.

“io9—now Acurion—has a critical mission: to make precision medicine a reality for more cancer patients,” said Scott Lippman MD., medical co-founder and Board member. “My colleagues and I witness the suffering that occurs in oncology every day because the journey from diagnosis to therapeutic selection is costly, time consuming, and confusing, causing life-threatening delays in front-line treatment. Much of the anguish of this uncertainty can be alleviated by providing oncologists with clinically actionable tumor genomic information, to ensure that every patient has access to the right treatment as quickly as possible, so they get the best chance at a positive outcome. There is no question that this approach is the future of precision oncology.”

Featured on CNN‘s Global Innovations series, Acurion’s DeepHRD artificial intelligence platform, OncoGaze™, is a transformative approach to precision oncology that enables rapid identification of the genomic biomarkers used to determine precision therapies, directly from routine tumor biopsy slides. This reduces the time from diagnosis to curative first-line treatment from weeks to mere seconds and makes the approach readily accessible worldwide. “Acurion’s approach is truly paradigm-shifting”, said Web Cavenee, Ph.D., scientific co-founder and Board member. “The promise of precision medicine has been hampered by the tissues and time needed for genomic analysis. Its cost also limits access and is an increasing concern for healthcare payers. OncoGaze addresses each of these issues.”

Not only does OncoGaze deliver insights instantaneously and affordably—it is also proven to be remarkably more accurate than FDA-approved genomic testing, identifying complex molecular patterns hidden in the tissue architecture of tumors, often undetectable even by molecular assays. Acurion’s AI technology is the only one of its kind to have been in the coveted Journal of Clinical Oncology and it has been well received by the oncology community, signaling growing excitement about this approach. Bringing this to market for patient benefit will be in the hands of an experienced and passionate team.

New Leadership Team

Acurion has appointed a world-class team of executives with deep expertise in life sciences, technology, and finance to accelerate its mission of innovation in precision oncology:

Rick Fultz, Chief Executive Officer – A veteran in the life sciences industry, Fultz has spent 15 years guiding companies toward growth allowing them to deliver value to patients and healthcare systems. His strategic vision and business development expertise will be key in guiding Acurion forward.

Feng Cao Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer – An expert in operational management, Cao will oversee the company’s commercial growth as well as regulatory and reimbursement strategy.

Ludmil Alexandrov, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer – A leading figure in cancer genomics, Alexandrov will direct Acurion’s scientific initiatives, advancing precision medicine and oncology research.

Erik Bergstrom Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer – With extensive experience in computational biology and AI, Bergstrom leads platform development at Acurion and led development of OncoGaze as a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Alexandrov’s lab.

Shelly Vandertie, Vice President of Finance – Vandertie brings deep expertise in financial strategy and planning, overseeing Acurion’s financial operations and growth planning.

“I am thrilled to welcome Rick Fultz as CEO,” said Magda Marquet, Ph.D., co-founder and board chair. “Rick is a dynamic, high-energy leader who is deeply committed to advancing patient care. He brings a wealth of experience in commercial operations, business development, and international relations, which will be invaluable to our mission. In a short time, he has assembled an outstanding management team and forged key partnerships in both academia and industry. We are excited for the impact his leadership will have on Acurion’s growth and success.”

“I am honored to lead Acurion during this important stage,” said Rick Fultz, CEO. “I am in awe of our exceptional scientists, clinicians, board members, and staff, and I am truly humbled to work alongside such a dedicated team on this important mission. Many aspects of this opportunity stood out to me, but none more than the chance to work with our inventor, Dr. Ludmil Alexandrov. As one of the most highly cited and influential computational AI biologists in the world, Ludmil is a standout talent even among the many brilliant minds at UCSD. Working with him feels like catching an ascending rocket by the tail. Together with our team and advisors, we are positioned to drive meaningful advancements in precision oncology.”

Series A Fundraising Launch
With its leadership team in place, Acurion is focused on expanding partnerships with academic institutions, patient advocacy groups, molecular profiling and industry leaders. The company will officially launch its Series A fundraising on April 15th to support its continued growth and innovation.

About Acurion
Acurion is revolutionizing frontline cancer care by equipping oncologists with critical genomic activity insights to get cancer patients onto the right treatments faster. The company’s mission is to accelerate the translation of its life-saving AI technology into the clinical arena to make a real, immediate and profound difference in therapy for patients worldwide. 

Dedicated to improving patient outcomes, Acurion collaborates with leading research institutions, patient advocacy groups, and industry partners to advance precision oncology. Please visit www.acurionhealth.com to learn more.

Media Contact:
Catherine Eng
Acurion, Inc.
ceng@acurionhealth.com
818-795-7184

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SOURCE Acurion

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Zifo Transforms Ontology Engineering with AI-Powered Intelligent Automation

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Advanced AI solution speeds up ontology creation by 80%, generating structured, interoperable knowledge models for science-driven organizations.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, England, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zifo, the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations, has developed an Intelligent Automation solution for Ontology Engineering, which is designed to seamlessly generate structured, interoperable knowledge models while accelerating ontology creation by 80%.

Overcoming the Bottlenecks of Manual Ontology Creation

Manual ontology creation in the biopharma industry has traditionally been a time-consuming process that requires specialized expertise. Organizations frequently struggle with semantic ambiguity, complex integration challenges, and limited scalability, resulting in workflows that can take weeks to complete. Zifo’s AI-powered automation tackles these challenges head-on by eliminating 80% of the manual work through automated class generation, description creation, and precise IRI mapping.

Addressing the Complexities of Semantic Knowledge

Developing comprehensive knowledge models often demands deep domain expertise to define relationships and align terminology. Zifo’s intelligent solution overcomes this by providing an AI-guided workflow featuring an intuitive interface, meaning specialized ontology engineering knowledge is no longer required. By leveraging LLM-powered generation, the solution creates precise definitions with a deep understanding of domain-specific context, while generating standardized synonyms and establishing controlled vocabulary alignment to eliminate inconsistent terminology.

A Solution Designed for Scalable Scientific Data Modeling

The AI-powered solution addresses critical format compatibility and integration points in ontology management:

Seamless Integration: Automated mapping connects directly to established ontologies, including NCIT, CHEBI, OBI, and EFO, via BioPortal and OLS APIs.Massive Scalability: Parallel processing and batch operations empower teams to execute large-scale ontology projects without performance limitations.Automated Hierarchies: The AI autonomously generates semantic relationships and parent-child hierarchies based on domain context and predefined relation vocabularies.Format Compatibility: The solution produces direct OWL/RDF exports with proper URIs, ensuring seamless downstream integration.

Unique Features include:

Multi-Source Integration: The solution combines BioPortal, OLS, and EMBL-EBI APIs to guarantee comprehensive ontology coverage.Intelligent Ranking System: The system uses AI-powered relevance scoring and justification for precise ontology mappings.Precise IRI Mapping: It ensures that each generated class is linked to the correct IRI, directly promoting semantic web compatibility.Human-in-the-Loop Design: The solution automates repetitive tasks while maintaining vital expert oversight.End-to-End Workflow: Users are guided through a complete pipeline, from initial domain knowledge input straight to exportable OWL files.Visual Knowledge Graph: An interactive graph visualization allows for intuitive relationship exploration and validation.Multi-Format Exports: Provides seamless export options in CSV, OWL, or HTML Ontograph formats for downstream use, collaboration, and visualization.

Strategic Value Across the Scientific Chain

This solution breaks down the traditional barriers of data structuring. Built on a robust backend of Python, LangChain, and leading LLM models, alongside a frontend framework using Next.js 15 and Cytoscape.js for graph visualization, the solution is highly adaptable. Furthermore, future optimization enhancements will include provisions for uploading user-defined classes or semi-ready ontologies.

About Zifo

Zifo is the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations. With expertise spanning research, development, manufacturing, and clinical domains, Zifo serves a diverse range of industries including Pharma, Biotech, Chemicals, Food and Beverage, and more. Trusted by over 190 organizations worldwide, Zifo is the partner of choice for advancing digital scientific innovation.

For more information, visit www.zifornd.comhttps://zifornd.com/practical-ai-blueprints/

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2731415/Zifo_Technologies_Logo.jpg

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zifo-transforms-ontology-engineering-with-ai-powered-intelligent-automation-302758975.html

SOURCE Zifo Technologies

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UNC-Chapel Hill establishes ‘Carolina in the Capital’ with new Washington, D.C. office

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has opened a new office in Washington, D.C., establishing an expanded presence for the University in the nation’s capital and creating exciting opportunities for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Located at 101 Constitution Avenue NW, the 10,861-square-foot space – coined “Carolina in the Capital” – will support a variety of functions, including educational programming for undergraduate and graduate students, alumni relations and engagement with government partners.

As a leading R1 university, UNC-Chapel Hill annually attracts more than $1.6 billion to the state’s economy to fund research that creates a better quality of life for all its citizens. More than 60% of UNC-Chapel Hill’s total research funding comes from federal sponsors with the majority of that federal funding coming from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is based in the Washington area.

“Carolina in the Capital is a state-of-the-art facility that reflects our commitment to creating experiential learning opportunities for our students and faculty,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “The space is designed as an immersive learning environment where students can translate classroom knowledge into hands-on experience, which has never been more important. The facility also strengthens our ability to support engagement between our staff, alumni, policymakers and partners.”

Supporting students participating in Carolina’s Washington-based academic programs is a priority. For years, students and faculty have relied on temporary or borrowed spaces across the city. The new office provides a permanent home where students can gather, learn and build community while living and studying in Washington. A robust schedule of classes and events will fill the space throughout the year.

The Washington, D.C. region is home to the largest concentration of out-of-state Carolina alumni anywhere in the country. The new office creates a dedicated space to strengthen those connections and support networking, mentorship, professional development and community-building among D.C.-based Tar Heels.

The space will also serve as a platform to bring Carolina’s research and academic expertise into closer conversation with policymakers, industry leaders and member organizations. Carolina is the nation’s 11th largest university in the country based on research volume with primary federal funding coming from NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF), both based in the D.C. area. Carolina is a proud member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities (APLU), which are both based in Washington.

The office is funded entirely through the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation and does not use any state appropriations.

You can view additional photos of the space here.

Media Contact: UNC Media Relations, 919-445-8555, mediarelations@unc.edu

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SOURCE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Office of Communications

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Investing.com Acquires Stonki to Accelerate Its Entry into the Agentic AI Era

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The acquisition strengthens Investing.com’s AI capabilities, advancing a next-generation research assistant that can analyze markets, generate insights, and guide investors in real time

NEW YORK, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Investing.com, one of the world’s largest financial platforms used by more than 60 million investors each month, today announced the acquisition of Stonki, an AI-powered investing assistant designed to help traders turn ideas into structured, actionable trading plans.

The move marks a major step in the company’s evolution toward agentic AI, strengthening its ability to deliver faster, deeper, and more actionable market insights to a growing base of more than 300,000 paying subscribers across its InvestingPro suite, the company’s premium subscription offering for advanced market data, tools, and AI-driven insights.

Over the past 12 months, nearly 3 million users have used WarrenAI, Investing.com’s AI-powered financial research assistant launched last year, to perform market analysis, making AI a central entry point into the platform’s ecosystem. With the addition of Stonki, the company is moving beyond traditional AI tools toward agentic systems that can proactively guide users through the investment process.

“We’re entering the age of agentic AI, where the technology moves beyond just answering questions to actively helping investors think, analyze, and act,” said Omer Shvili, CEO of Investing.com. “Bringing Stonki.ai into the fold accelerates our goal of building an agentic platform that will serve as a 24/7 analyst for our users. We are developing this to be more than just a tool; it will be a partner that identifies opportunities, tracks unfolding situations, and surfaces trade ideas even when the user isn’t active—giving our users the kind of edge that was previously only available to professional investors.”

Founded in 2025, Stonki is developing a new category of ‘agentic’ AI for investing, enabling users to turn investment ideas into fully defined strategies with entry and exit conditions, risk management rules, and continuous monitoring.

“We started Stonki because, as investors and traders ourselves, we knew how much time and focus it takes to stay on top of the market and properly manage a day trade, a swing trade, an investment idea, or a portfolio,” said Ulas Bilgenoglu and Itay Verkh, co-founders of Stonki. “We set out to build AI that could carry part of that load by continuously monitoring the market, turning ideas into structured strategies, and helping users make better decisions with clear entry and exit conditions, disciplined risk management, and ongoing tracking. Joining Investing.com gives us the scale, data, reach, and strong AI foundation to accelerate that vision. Together, we can create an experience where AI helps users stay ahead of the market, manage risk, and act with greater confidence.”

The acquisition expands Investing.com’s AI capabilities across both technical and fundamental investing workflows. Stonki’s technology is built around persistent, real-time intelligence, continuously monitoring markets, tracking user-defined strategies, and alerting investors when conditions align, rather than relying on one-off prompts or static analysis.

For active traders, the platform is evolving into a real-time analysis engine designed to support high-frequency decision-making with precision and speed. For long-term investors, it is becoming a central hub for research, enabling users to evaluate opportunities, set personalized alerts, and monitor portfolios based on their individual investment strategies.

Users will be able to define specific conditions, such as a stock crossing a long-term moving average, and have the AI continuously monitor the market, analyze relevant signals, and surface actionable insights in real time. The system will also review portfolios on an ongoing basis, helping investors avoid potential losses and uncover new opportunities aligned with their strategy.

This latest step builds on Investing.com’s broader strategy of expanding its AI-powered suite, including WarrenAI, ProPicks AI, and its recently launched AI Chart Analysis, all aimed at delivering faster, more accurate and more actionable insights to investors.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/investingcom-acquires-stonki-to-accelerate-its-entry-into-the-agentic-ai-era-302756588.html

SOURCE Investing.com

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