AstraZeneca has returned to its longtime artificial intelligence partner Immunai with a new deal worth up to $85 million to advance a suitable target for a new inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapy.
New York-based Immunai has already identified the target via its AMICA cell atlas and its AI model, dubbed the Immunodynamics Engine. The model combines single-cell multi-omics data sets with machine learning to model immune function across various diseases.
In return for the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize drugs aimed at the undisclosed target, AstraZeneca will pay an upfront fee and be liable for milestone payments that could reach a combined total of $85 million.
Founded by former researchers and computer engineers from MIT, Harvard University and Stanford University, Immunai has been building a digital map of the immune system by charting each cell type’s function and their interactions with the body and various diseases.
“Target discovery has always been a challenging process, especially in complex immune diseases like IBD,” Immunai CO Noam Solomon, Ph.D., said in the Oct. 16 release.
“This agreement marks a turning point,” Solomon added. “We’re showing that by modeling the immune system with high-resolution single-cell data and artificial intelligence, we are able to not just find new targets, but also understand why they matter.”
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Immunai collected a hefty $215 million series B round back in 2021 after raising $60 million through a series A earlier that same year. Those funds have helped the company stretch its reach from immuno-oncology toward broader research into autoimmune, cardiovascular and neurological conditions.
AstraZeneca’s relationship with Immunai dates back three years and has encompassed research into a range of targets within IBD based on cell-by-cell analyses of the immune system. Immunai has also lent its multi-omics tech to the development of AstraZeneca’s clinical trials and oncology pipeline, including CTLA-4 and PD-L1 bispecific antibody volrustomig, currently being tested in phase 3 studies among cancers of the lung, cervix, head and neck.
