A clinical trial tool built in Johannesburg has placed second in the 2026 CDISC AI Innovation Challenge, an international contest for artificial intelligence in medical research.
The platform, called Leova, was made by BioInformatiCo, a clinical data management company. It helps researchers build and test the digital databases used to collect information during trials of new medicines and vaccines.
“Placing second in the CDISC AI Innovation Challenge is an important endorsement of what we have built. It shows that technology developed in Africa can help tackle challenges in clinical research worldwide,” said Shirley Collie, the company’s founder and CEO.
The challenge drew 50 submissions from 30 organisations and individual entrants. Leova came second out of 19 entries in Use Case 1. That category looked at using AI to create made-up test data that checks software automatically.
The contest was run by the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC). It is a global non-profit group that sets standards for clinical research data. These standards help data be collected and shared in the same way, including for review by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Collie said a trial needs a reliable system to collect and manage data before the first person can join it. She said building and checking these databases can take 10 to 20 weeks of specialist work.
“Errors at this stage can compromise data quality, create costly rework and delay the trial,” she told IOL.
According to the company, Leova starts with a study plan, known as a protocol. It drafts the data forms and the rules for checking entries. It then builds the database and tests it with fake participants designed to break those rules.
This lets research teams find weak spots before the system is used in a live trial. In one study, the company said, Leova cut database testing from five days of specialist work to one day.
BioInformatiCo said it does not simply sell the software for clients to run alone. It pairs Leova with its own data management experts and human checks.
“Leova was born out of a real operational need. We understand the pressure clinical research teams face to deliver reliable data, meet demanding standards and make every Rand count,” Collie said.
She added that automation cannot replace steady funding or specialist skills. She said it can help teams work faster while keeping data quality high.
The award comes as US funding cuts have hit health programmes and medical research in South Africa. IOL reported that HIV programmes, clinical studies and research facilities have been especially affected.
The company built Leova inside its own research work. It supports vaccine studies from first-in-human trials up to Phase 3. These cover infectious diseases including HIV, TB, Ebola and COVID-19.
BioInformatiCo supports clinical trials across sub-Saharan Africa. The company said a US site will launch soon, and talks with trial sponsors are under way in Europe and Australia.
The company also plans to open a seed funding round in the coming months. It said the money will support Leova’s next stage of development and growth.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Technology. Image: IOL Technology. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.