In a landmark collaboration, AstraZeneca has joined forces with Absci, a generative AI biologics company, to pioneer an AI-designed antibody for cancer treatment. This partnership underscores the pharmaceutical industry’s growing trust in artificial intelligence to revolutionize research and development (R&D).
Absci will leverage its advanced AI and machine learning (AI/ML) platform to expedite the discovery process for AstraZeneca, aiming to identify a promising new candidate for cancer therapy. The financial contours of the deal include an undisclosed upfront payment, R&D funding, milestone payments, and royalties on future product sales.
Puja Sapra, AstraZeneca’s Senior Vice President of Biologics Engineering & Oncology Targeted Delivery, expressed enthusiasm about the potential of Absci’s de novo AI antibody creation platform to innovate within the oncology space.
The announcement coincides with AstraZeneca’s launch of Evinova, a health-tech venture focusing on integrating digital technology and AI into clinical trials, further cementing the company’s commitment to digital innovation.
Absci’s cutting-edge platform can measure millions of protein-protein interactions. These measurements are used to train proprietary AI models, which in turn guide the design of antibodies. The company asserts that its technology can significantly shorten the drug discovery timeline to approximately six weeks by integrating data collection, AI-driven design, and wet-lab validation.
Sean McClain, CEO of Absci, highlighted the agreement as a step forward in the company’s mission to develop transformative therapeutics through its AI platform.
This deal follows Absci’s recent collaborations, including a November agreement with Almirall in dermatology, potentially worth $650 million, and an April partnership with Aster Insights (formerly M2GEN) to enhance therapeutic development for various cancers.
The biopharmaceutical sector has seen a surge in AI/ML-related companies, attracting partnerships despite the field’s relative infancy. Success for these companies hinges on demonstrating efficiency in advancing novel compounds, aiming for faster, cost-effective drug development and addressing challenging targets. Absci has announced an AI drug creation pipeline with four asset programs in cytokine biology, each with the potential to reach investigational new drug filing by 2025.
Pharmaceutical giants like Genentech, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Johnson & Johnson have also made significant investments in AI to bolster their drug discovery processes. In November alone, AI companies across all sectors outperformed other startups in investment attraction, securing $2.4 billion, as reported by Crunchbase.
The momentum for AI in drug development is further supported by a recent executive order from the White House, directing the Department of Health and Human Services to establish responsible AI standards in pharma by 2024.
