Tempus, AstraZeneca, and Pathos Partner to Build Multimodal AI Foundation Model
US based biotech firm Tempus has entered a strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca and Pathos to develop a multimodal foundation model aimed at transforming oncology. This joint effort brings together Tempus’ artificial intelligence capabilities, deep oncology data, and the combined scientific resources of all three organizations.
The model will be used collaboratively, with the goal of identifying new drug targets, improving cancer therapeutics, and delivering more precise, data-driven treatment strategies for patients worldwide.
The partnership includes a $200 million agreement covering data licensing and model development—an investment aimed at creating scalable AI-driven insights that could redefine cancer care.
Leveraging AI to Accelerate Precision Medicine
The partnership is based on a pre-existing relationship between Tempus and AstraZeneca. The collaboration was initially initiated in 2021. With this latest move, the three companies plan to leverage massive datasets and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and clinical development. The foundation model will tap into one of the largest repositories of multimodal oncology data, including genomic, clinical, imaging, and molecular data.
Also read: AI in Healthcare Highlighted at Chinese Medical Summit
AstraZeneca, known for its oncology pipeline, views AI integration as a pivotal move to boost clinical success rates. The leadership of the company has stated that multimodal models will be instrumental in speeding up therapeutic advances across cancer types.
Tempus, meanwhile, has spent the last decade creating the infrastructure necessary to make this happen—spending billions on collecting, curating, and leveraging AI-driven technology to personalize care at scale.
Deepening the Role of AI in Therapeutic Development
Pathos, a newer entrant in the precision medicine space, joins the collaboration with an eye toward shaping the next generation of drug discovery tools. The company, backed by venture capital and biotech expertise, sees this partnership as a chance to help realize AI’s full potential in real-world oncology applications.
The collaboration reflects a broader trend in life sciences, where generative AI and multimodal modeling are fast becoming central to innovation. With clinical data growing more complex and rich, AI’s role is shifting from supplementary to foundational.
In a move that further strengthens its AI portfolio, Tempus also recently acquired Deep 6 AI—an advanced research platform focused on streamlining clinical trials. The platform accelerates trial recruitment and enables healthcare providers to generate evidence faster, with greater precision.
Looking Ahead
Together, Tempus, AstraZeneca, and Pathos are laying the groundwork for a future where precision oncology is powered not just by data—but by intelligent systems capable of interpreting that data at scale. As this foundation model develops, its success could mark a turning point in how cancer is treated, researched, and understood across the globe.
