SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca has agreed to buy Boston-based Modella AI, the companies said on Tuesday, as the drug industry increases its use of artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of new drugs.
The companies did not disclose financial terms. In a press release, Modella AI said its "foundation models" and AI agents would be integrated into oncology research and development to support clinical development and biomarker discovery.
"Oncology drug development is becoming more complex, more data-rich and more time-sensitive," said Gabi Raia, Modella AI's chief commercial officer, adding that joining AstraZeneca would allow it to deploy its tools in global trials and clinical settings.
AstraZeneca said that this was the first acquisition of an AI firm by a big pharmaceutical company.
In an interview at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, AstraZeneca Chief Financial Officer Aradhana Sarin said the acquisition would "supercharge" the company's quantitative pathology and biomarker discovery efforts by bringing more data and AI capabilities in-house.
The deal was one of a number of pacts between major drug firms and AI companies that were unveiled at the healthcare conference, including a $1 billion collaboration between Nvidia and Eli Lilly. They plan to build a new research lab using Nvidia's latest-generation AI chips.
Modella will accelerate AstraZeneca’s efforts to make pathology more quantitative - using computers to analyze biopsies for relevant proteins and correlate them with clinical data - so AstraZeneca can develop “highly targeted biomarkers and then highly targeted therapeutics,” Sarin said.
The deal is an expansion of a multi-year collaboration that the companies unveiled in July.
Sarin said that partnership served as a "test drive," adding that AstraZeneca ultimately wanted Modella's data, foundation models and AI talent in-house.
She said AI tools could be used to more rapidly select patients for drug trials, which could increase the odds of clinical success and cut related costs.
(Reporting by Maggie Fick; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
latest_posts
- 1
Figure out How to Streamline Your Profits in Gold Speculation - 2Find the Standards of Powerful Cooperation: Accomplishing Cooperative energy and Coordinated effort
- 3Iran plans new restrictions in overhaul of Strait of Hormuz rules
- 4Historic underwater structure discovered by divers off French coast
- 5One spent $20 on candy. Another paid $700 for a custom costume. Here's how Halloween costs stacked up this year.
- Dr. Vinay Prasad's memo raises concerns about COVID-19 vaccines and pediatric mortality
- Smartwatches: Remain Associated and Dynamic
- 4 well known subjects in school
- She's been a Bond girl and a mutant. Now she's grappling with Hollywood's obsession with 'eternal youth.'
- Chinese fossils reveal a primordial burst of animal evolution
- Untamed life Safe-havens All over the Planet Offering Remarkable Creature Experiences
- Iran warns its ready to open new front in Yemen, close Bab al-Mandab Strait with Houthis
- Delta flight bound for Atlanta makes emergency landing after engine issue
- Do-It-Yourself Home Style on a Careful spending plan: Imaginative Thoughts and Tasks
