AstraZeneca Expands AI-Powered Immuno-Oncology Research Partnership with Immunai

Immunai, a biotechnology company based in New York, has partnered with AstraZeneca in a multiyear endeavor to try and change the cancer immunotherapy trials through AI. This partnership will utilize Immunai’s immune-cell atlas to optimize outcomes of clinical trials, decisions, and cancer treatment.

The two have collaborated in research on IBD, as well as volrustomig, an antibody AstraZeneca is currently running trials on lung, cervical, head and neck cancers. Immunai’s leading-edge technology applied for mapping the immune system and can thus regulate a single cell level to identify drug targets.
Immunai has been started by former researchers and professors from MIT, Harvard and Stanford universities and offers an AI-technology called the Immunodynamics Engine (IDE), in addition to the AMICA immune cell atlas. These tools are developed to gain certain knowledge about the role of immune cells and their relationship with diseases. Immunai was initially known for its work in the oncology field, especially immunotherapy but is working in autoimmune, CV, and neurological diseases now.
The partnership follows on the back of Immunai’s Series B funding that was held in 2021, with $215M raised and a Series A of $60M held earlier in the year. Such funds have complemented the growth of the company’s research as well as technologist offerings, affirming the company’s position as an Artificial Intelligence led drug discovery company.
When the new division of the partnership has been completed, Immunai will receive $18M from AstraZeneca for its AI platform. This collaboration is set to accelerate clinical trials of new cancer treatments by helping sort out which patients are most likely to benefit from a particular therapy, which dose is most effective, and what biomarkers exist for each drug.

Insights from Immunai could help to rationalize clinical trial decisions and lend to the development of brand-new cancer treatments.
The partnership is a part of the company’s goal to incorporate AI in the creation of drugs. This comes after it closed a $247M deal with another artificial intelligence firm, Absci, to develop antibodies that target cancer.

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