New collaboration delivers a fully integrated formulation workflow from early solubility studies to high-throughput dissolution, stability, and in-process analytics, making drug formulation less artisanal and more deterministic at milligram scale

SAN FRANCISCO, June 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Persist AI, an AI and robotics-powered pharmaceutical formulation research company, today announced a strategic collaboration with Microsize and Micromacinazione, pioneers in pharmaceutical micronization with over 30 years of industry experience. Together, the three companies have built the world’s first integrated platform capable of determining oral formulation strategy with milligrams of API.

A Paradigm Shift in Early-Stage Formulation Decision-Making

Historically, answering the fundamental formulation question “Should this drug be micronized, or does it need a different approach?” required scientists to work with grams of API and months of development time. In early-stage drug development, that API is scarce, expensive to synthesize, and time-consuming to produce. Mistakes at later stages, when batches are larger and processes more complex, carry compounding costs.

The “Micromill” platform changes this equation. By combining Micmac’s SSM20 mini mill alongside Persist AI’s AI-driven experimentation platform, the collaboration enables a complete, traceable formulation workflow using just milligrams of material. For the first time, formulation teams can make go/no-go decisions on micronization and bioavailability enhancement strategies at the earliest stages of development, when the cost of a course correction is a fraction of what it would be downstream.

What the Platform Delivers

The integrated platform combines capabilities from all three organizations into a unified early-stage formulation workflow:

• Earlier process de-risking: Particle size reduction campaigns requiring only milligram-level API inputs, producing data directly scalable to Microsize and Micmac’s full commercial manufacturing infrastructure
• Rapid developability assessment: Thermodynamic and kinetic solubility and dissolution profiling to establish baseline bioavailability context as well as early assessment of physical and chemical stability of micronized material under relevant storage and formulation conditions
• Reproducible data: Proprietary process analytical technology (PAT) spanning solid state analysis, particle morphology, and in-process measurements — characterizing the formulation at each step and recording every change and decision made, so development is documented, repeatable, and deterministic rather than artisanal

The complete output spanning particle size distributions, solubility profiles, dissolution kinetics, stability indicators, and a full in-process characterization record is captured by Persist AI’s self-learning agentic architecture, which builds deep knowledge with every experiment to reduce downstream formulation risk. The result is a formulation decision package that previously would have required extensive resource investment and API quantities unavailable in early development.

Why This Changes Drug Development

The implications extend well beyond cost savings. By enabling formulation feasibility work at the pre-IND or Phase I stage, pharmaceutical companies can:

• Identify the right formulation strategy earlier, before committing to a clinical development path built on an unoptimized dosage form
• De-risk faster and more cheaply, catching bioavailability challenges when material and process changes are still low-cost
• Avoid downstream reformulation, which is one of the highest-cost and highest-delay scenarios in drug development, particularly when scale-up is underway or clinical data has already been generated
• Accelerate time to first-in-human studies, by eliminating formulation uncertainty that would otherwise force delays

“The collaboration brings together complementary strengths that didn’t exist in a single place before. Microsize’s & Micmac’s expertise in scalable micronization centered around precision particle engineering equipment, and Persist AI’s data-driven formulation platform create something genuinely new.”
— TJ Higley, CEO, Microsize

Scalability Built In From Day One

A defining feature of the platform is that data generated at micro-scale maps directly to Microsize and Micmac’s full commercial manufacturing capabilities. What begins as a milligram-scale feasibility experiment is designed to be seamlessly translated to Microsize’s FDA-inspected facilities which operate from grams to kilograms across three US locations and Micmac’s GMP-inspected production buildings in Switzerland. This built-in scalability means shorter cycle times and less guess-work during the scale-up process.

About Microsize

Microsize is a US-based pharmaceutical CDMO and a pioneer in micronization technology, with over 30 years of experience and hundreds of APIs processed across thousands of campaigns. Operating FDA-inspected facilities totaling over 100,000 square feet, Microsize provides micronization, particle classification, and analytical characterization services from grams to multi-metric tons. Their high-touch, low-bureaucracy model enables rapid execution and a streamlined regulatory pathway for IND and NDA filings. Learn more at www.microsize.com.

About Persist AI

Persist AI combines AI-driven experimentation with robotic laboratory execution to deliver pharmaceutical development results in weeks rather than months. Their self-learning agentic platform integrates high-throughput screening, proprietary process analytical technology, and in-process characterization across the full formulation workflow. Persist AI’s Cloud Lab lets pharma teams commission experiments remotely via a web interface or API — a lab-in-a-loop model that delivers on-demand robotic execution without the need for internal laboratory infrastructure. Learn more at www.persist-ai.com.

About Micro-Macinazione (Micmac) and Schedio Group

Micro-Macinazione (Micmac) is a Swiss-based pharmaceutical CDMO with over 50 years of experience in particle engineering, micronization, and milling. Operating one dedicated R&D laboratory and three fully GMP-inspected production buildings, Micmac serves applications from poorly soluble compounds to highly potent APIs and inhalation formulations. Micmac was recently acquired by Microsize and Schedio Group forming an integrated global micronization platform with dual-source capability in the US and Switzerland. Schedio Group specializes in developing and manufacturing equipment for particle engineering and high-containment systems. Learn more at micromacinazione.com and www.schedio.ch.

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SOURCE Persist AI Formulations