AstraZeneca signs $1.5B AI partnership with insitro to discover liver and heart disease targets

AstraZeneca announced a partnership with insitro, a biotech that uses artificial intelligence, with an upfront payment of $40 million and potential milestones up to $1.46 billion.

The collaboration will focus on identifying new drug targets for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and cardiomyopathies, diseases that are common and often underdiagnosed.

insitro will apply its AI platform, which merges human and cellular data, to uncover causal disease biology and generate novel genetic insights, while AstraZeneca will retain exclusive worldwide rights to advance selected programs.

The deal expands AstraZeneca's AI initiatives, complementing its existing investments and partnerships in the field, such as work with Algen Biotechnologies and the acquisition of Modella.