The strategic research collaboration will combine Illumina and AstraZeneca’s combined strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) based genome interpretation and genomic analysis techniques to advance the drug target discovery
Illumina announces strategic research collaboration with AstraZeneca. (Credit: Illumina, Inc.)
US-based DNA sequencing company Illumina and British biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca have announced a strategic research collaboration focused on drug target discovery.
Under the partnership, the two companies will combine their combined capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) based genome interpretation and genomic analysis techniques.
The research collaboration will determine whether a combined framework of technologies can improve the target discovery to identify promising drugs, based on human omics data.
If the collaboration achieves successful results, the two companies will consider exploring opportunities for a long-term partnership.
Illumina interim chief financial officer, chief strategy and corporate development officer Joydeep Goswami said: “Illumina and AstraZeneca are uniquely positioned to improve the efficiency of pharma pipelines by leveraging industry-leading abilities to identify genetic variants that contribute to human disease.
“By identifying genes that show evidence of human disease causality, the combined framework has the potential to prioritize drug candidates with increased likelihood of approval.”
Illumina will combine its next generation of AI-based interpretation tools, including PrimateAI and SpliceAI, with AstraZeneca’s AI tools, including JARVIS and in silico predictors.
The collaboration will deploy integrated solutions for rare variant genomic discoveries.
AstraZeneca’s Centre for Genomics Research will adopt the framework combining AI-based tools from both companies to analyse large-scale multi-omics data sets.
The complementary AI tools are expected to work to more precisely identify genetic variants that contribute to human diseases, to enable the development of effective and safe therapies.
AstraZeneca centre for genomics research head Slavé Petrovski said: “Continuous innovation in the AI tools and frameworks that are applied to the growing human genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics medical research resources will enable us to answer some of the toughest questions and contribute to our aims of uncovering novel drug targets.”
Illumina chief technology officer Alex Aravanis said: “The next generation of drug discovery lies at the intersection of human genetics and AI, making this a potentially pivotal research collaboration that combines Illumina’s industry-leading ability to interpret genomes at scale with AstraZeneca’s extensive capabilities in large-scale human genetics research.”