AstraZeneca plans to purchase Modella AI in order to accelerate cancer drug development

AstraZeneca to Acquire Modella AI, Advancing Drug Discovery with Artificial Intelligence

On January 13 in San Francisco, AstraZeneca announced plans to purchase Modella AI, a Boston-based company, as both organizations look to harness artificial intelligence to speed up the development of new medications.

The financial details of the agreement were not made public. According to a statement from Modella AI, the company’s foundational AI models and intelligent agents will be incorporated into AstraZeneca’s cancer research initiatives, supporting both clinical trials and the identification of biomarkers.

Gabi Raia, Modella AI’s Chief Commercial Officer, noted that the process of developing cancer treatments is increasingly complex, data-driven, and time-sensitive. By joining AstraZeneca, Modella AI will be able to apply its advanced technologies across global clinical studies and real-world medical settings.

This marks the first time a major pharmaceutical company has acquired an AI-focused firm, AstraZeneca stated.

During the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, AstraZeneca’s Chief Financial Officer, Aradhana Sarin, explained that bringing Modella AI on board would significantly enhance the company’s capabilities in quantitative pathology and biomarker research by expanding its internal data and AI resources.

This acquisition is part of a broader trend at the conference, where several partnerships between leading drugmakers and AI companies were revealed. Notably, Nvidia and Eli Lilly announced a $1 billion collaboration to establish a new research facility powered by Nvidia’s state-of-the-art AI processors.

According to Sarin, Modella AI’s technology will help AstraZeneca make pathology assessments more data-driven by using computers to analyze biopsy samples for key proteins and link those findings to clinical outcomes. This approach aims to enable the development of highly specific biomarkers and targeted therapies.

The acquisition builds on a multi-year partnership that AstraZeneca and Modella AI began in July.

Sarin described the earlier collaboration as a “trial run,” emphasizing that AstraZeneca’s ultimate goal was to bring Modella AI’s data, foundational models, and AI expertise in-house.

She also highlighted that AI-powered tools could streamline the process of selecting patients for clinical trials, potentially improving trial success rates and reducing associated expenses.

Reported by Maggie Fick; Edited by Thomas Derpinghaus