AstraZeneca, Tempus, and Pathos AI Join Forces to Develop Groundbreaking Cancer Model

In a significant development for oncology research, Tempus AI has entered into a three-way collaboration with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and AI-focused biotech Pathos AI. The partnership aims to construct a data-driven oncology model that could revolutionize cancer drug development.

$200 Million Deal to Advance AI-Driven Oncology Research

Tempus AI is set to receive $200 million in data licensing and model development fees as part of this groundbreaking agreement. The company will leverage its extensive repository of anonymized clinical data from cancer patients to create a multimodal foundation model. This advanced AI model will have the capability to process and generate outputs from multiple data types, potentially accelerating the discovery of novel drug targets and the development of innovative cancer therapeutics.

Eric Lefkofsky, CEO of Tempus, emphasized the transformative potential of this collaboration, stating, "Generative AI and the emergence of large multimodal models is the final catalyst needed to usher in precision medicine in oncology at scale." He added that Tempus has invested billions of dollars over the past decade to collect the necessary data for such a foundation model.

Expanding Existing Partnerships and Advancing AI in Drug Discovery

This new agreement builds upon AstraZeneca's existing partnership with Tempus, which began in 2021. The initial collaboration focused on using Tempus's multimodal data to advance novel therapeutic programs in oncology on a global scale.

Jorge Reis-Filho, Chief AI and Data Scientist for Oncology R&D at AstraZeneca, highlighted the transformative impact of AI on cancer drug discovery and clinical development. He expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "We are excited to collaborate with Tempus and Pathos to advance our data and AI-driven R&D strategy through the development of a multimodal oncology foundation model that we believe will accelerate and increase the probability of clinical success across our diverse pipeline."

The Rising Role of AI in Pharmaceutical Research

The involvement of Pathos AI in this collaboration underscores the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in drug development. Mohamad Makhzoumi, a board member at Pathos, noted that the opportunity to build foundation models that seemed "almost unimaginable a few years ago is now taking shape."

This latest partnership adds to AstraZeneca's growing portfolio of AI-focused drug discovery collaborations, which includes agreements with companies such as Verge Genomics, Absci, and Immunai. The pharmaceutical industry's embrace of AI technologies is expected to accelerate drug discovery and development processes, potentially leading to breakthroughs in targeting previously undruggable disease mechanisms.