AstraZeneca is collaborating with Immunai Inc., an AI and biotech company, to optimize oncology clinical trials. The partnership leverages Immunai’s immune cell atlas, AMICA™, and its AI model, the Immunodynamics Engine (IDE™), to enhance clinical decision-making.
Collaboration Details
Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will utilize Immunai’s platform to inform clinical trials, focusing on dose selection, understanding mechanisms of action, distinguishing patient responders from non-responders, and identifying biomarkers. Immunai will receive $18 million for the initial phase, with AstraZeneca having the option to extend the collaboration.
Iker Huerga, Chief Data Scientist, Oncology R&D at AstraZeneca, emphasized the transformative impact of AI in clinical development, stating, "Artificial intelligence is transforming cancer drug discovery and clinical development. We are very pleased to collaborate with Immunai to leverage their innovative platform to enhance our data-driven R&D strategy and glean potential new insights into mechanisms of action of immunotherapies."
AI's Role in Drug Development
This collaboration marks a continuation of a partnership that began in 2022, which has already provided insights for clinical programs. AstraZeneca’s deepened relationship with Immunai highlights the increasing role of AI in enhancing clinical trial success rates and maximizing R&D productivity. Immunai uses single-cell genomics and machine learning to improve the development of novel therapeutics by decoding the immune system.
Noam Solomon, Ph.D., CEO of Immunai, stated, "Bringing a drug to market is incredibly challenging, time-consuming, and expensive. Through this collaboration with AstraZeneca, we’re excited to leverage our AI-based engine, the IDE™, to help make this process more efficient in bringing potential new therapies to patients."
Founded in 2018, Immunai has established over 30 partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions, raising nearly $270 million in funding. This collaboration with AstraZeneca is one of several AI-focused initiatives by the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker, including a $247 million deal with Absci to design an antibody for cancer treatment.
