AstraZeneca partners with AI company to find cure for cancer.

AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company that developed one of the COVID-19 vaccines, plans to design cancer antibodies in collaboration with Absci, an American artificial intelligence (AI) biologics company.

AstraZeneca will invest up to $247 million in research and development, milestone payments and upfront fees for Absci, according to a December 3 Financial Times report. The goal of this collaboration is to develop new antibody treatments for cancer and create zero-shot generative AI models to improve existing treatments. The report did not specify the type of cancer involved.

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Absci’s website claims that its AI examines “billions of cells” each week, turning them from antibodies to wet “lab-validated candidates” in just six weeks. Currently, the company is involved in 17 active projects. Puja Sapra, Executive Vice President, AstraZeneca, said:

“Using AI, we can not only increase the success and speed of the biologics discovery process, but also improve the diversity of biologics we discover.”

Absci CEO Sean McClain also publicly confirmed the partnership and said it would help AstraZeneca leverage its AI work, according to a Reuters report. Cointelegraph has reached out to Absci for more information but has not yet received a response.

AI is gaining momentum in the healthcare industry because it can significantly accelerate innovative research and the accuracy of data analysis. Last November, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority announced the launch of an AI pilot to combat multi-drug-resistant organisms, or superbugs. AI will analyze clinical data to determine the need for antibiotic prescriptions, which has led to an increase in resistant superbugs on the island.

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