AstraZeneca has agreed to pay $18 million to Immunai Inc., a biotechnology company based in New York, to utilize its AI model of the immune system, aimed at enhancing the efficiency of specific cancer drug trials, as announced by Immunai on Thursday.
This partnership is part of a broader trend for the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company, which has been actively pursuing collaborations that leverage artificial intelligence in drug discovery and development. Notably, AstraZeneca entered into a $247 million agreement with U.S.-based Absci last year to create an antibody targeting cancer.
Immunai, established in 2018, employs single-cell genomics—a method for analyzing the genetic characteristics of individual cells—along with machine learning to innovate and refine the development of new therapeutics by interpreting the immune system.
The collaboration will concentrate on enhancing clinical decision-making processes, such as dose selection and biomarker identification, through the use of Immunai's platform. AstraZeneca also retains the option to extend the duration and breadth of this partnership in the future, according to the U.S.-based firm.
In the initial phase, AstraZeneca will gain access to Immunai's AI platform, which is expected to provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of action of immunotherapies, as stated by Iker Huerga, AstraZeneca's chief data scientist for oncology research and development.