Danaher Corporation announced on May 29, 2025, a strategic partnership with AstraZeneca to develop and commercialize novel diagnostic tools designed to help clinicians better determine which patients would most benefit from precision medicine treatments. The collaboration represents a significant step toward scaling precision medicine through the development of next-generation AI-powered diagnostics.
Partnership Framework and Objectives
The partnership will utilize Danaher's newly opened Centers for Enabling Precision Medicine to support a streamlined, end-to-end development process across diagnostic modalities. According to Julie Sawyer Montgomery, Danaher Executive Vice President, "Precision medicines are more targeted than standard therapies and thus require precision diagnostics to determine which patients are most likely to benefit. We are excited to work with AstraZeneca on the goal of creating novel tests to increase access to precision medicines, helping ensure that no patients are left behind."
The collaboration aims to create a framework for rapid diagnostics research, development, and commercialization, addressing the growing need for companion diagnostics in the precision medicine landscape.
Focus on Digital Pathology and AI Integration
The first product intended to be developed through this partnership will leverage technologies from Leica Biosystems, one of Danaher's subsidiaries. The initial focus will be on digital and computational pathology products and AI-assisted algorithms to help clinicians better diagnose patients by identifying those who are most likely to benefit from targeted therapies.
Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President of Oncology Haematology R&D at AstraZeneca, emphasized the importance of this collaboration: "The transformative potential of next-wave precision medicines such as antibody-drug conjugates will depend on our ability to identify the patients most likely to benefit from them. Our partnership with Danaher and Leica Biosystems underscores our commitment to pioneering AI-based diagnostics which can improve patient selection, and our belief that collaboration is a critical accelerant for such progress."
Digital Pathology Platform and Global Deployment
Leica Biosystems has developed leading digital pathology solutions and intends to scale these for use in clinical settings across its global laboratory footprint. To accelerate this digital transformation, the company recently committed to an open-access Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard, encouraging interoperability for enhanced workflow connectivity.
Gustavo Perez-Fernandez, President of Leica Biosystems, highlighted the transformative nature of their technology: "At Leica Biosystems, we've been driving the new era of digital pathology, where assays that used to be analyzed by the human eye are now also analyzed by digital tools, helping to improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic guidance. With our global footprint and leading digital pathology platform, we expect to be able to deploy the tests developed with AstraZeneca to patients worldwide, which could significantly advance precision medicine and improve outcomes for patients on a global scale."
Strategic Implications for Precision Medicine
The partnership addresses a critical gap in precision medicine implementation, where the success of targeted therapies depends heavily on accurate patient selection. By combining Danaher's diagnostic expertise with AstraZeneca's pharmaceutical development capabilities, the collaboration aims to ensure that precision medicines reach the patients who will benefit most from them.
The focus on antibody-drug conjugates represents a particularly important area of development, as these next-generation therapies require sophisticated diagnostic approaches to identify appropriate patient populations. The integration of AI-powered algorithms into digital pathology workflows could significantly enhance the accuracy and efficiency of patient selection processes.
