AstraZeneca is leveraging Immunai's artificial intelligence to map the human immune system, enhancing clinical trials for cancer medications. The collaboration aims to improve dose selection, elucidate mechanisms of action, identify biomarkers, and refine patient response analysis. This partnership highlights the increasing role of AI in solving complex challenges in cancer treatment.
AI to Improve Patient Treatments for Cancer
Immunai's CEO, Noam Solomon, inspired by personal experiences with cancer, emphasizes the company's commitment to improving patient outcomes. "There was a big unmet need for patients and people who are dying from cancer and suffering from autoimmune diseases. Can we develop a technology that can help this problem? I believed that we may be able to do so."
Solomon's vision is rooted in leveraging AI to understand patient responses to treatments in oncology and autoimmune diseases. By collecting data before, during, and after treatment, Immunai maps changes within the immune system, providing insights into disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
Mapping the Immune System
Immunai's approach involves mapping the mechanisms of action and resistance to different therapeutics. This comprehensive mapping helps refine drug development by identifying optimal drug combinations and predicting patient responses.
"Every project that we do is essentially applying our engine with a starting mechanism of resistance for a drug that our partners have and then gleaning insights that can make the drugs better during clinical trials," Solomon explains.
Practical Applications in Clinical Trials
The AI-driven insights are applied across various clinical trial phases, from early R&D to Phase III trials. Key applications include:
- Dose Selection: Optimizing drug dosages to increase efficacy and minimize toxicity.
- Target Indication: Identifying the most suitable cancer types for specific compounds.
- Combination Therapies: Determining the most effective drug combinations.
- Patient Selection: Identifying patients likely to respond positively and excluding those at risk of toxic events.
By providing these actionable insights, Immunai aims to improve the efficiency and success rates of clinical trials, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.
Building Trust and Delivering Results
Solomon emphasizes the importance of building trust with pharmaceutical partners through consistent performance. "The secret for our success with AstraZeneca and other pharma companies is just being consistent all of the time... Remember that the first contract signed is just getting your foot in the door; now you need to actually get in the room and deliver."
Immunai's philosophy of under-promising and over-delivering has fostered a strong relationship with AstraZeneca, leading to expanded collaborations and a shared commitment to advancing cancer treatment.
