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AstraZeneca Acquires AI Startup Modella to Accelerate Oncology Drug Development

• By John K. Waters
• 01/22/2026

AstraZeneca has agreed to buy Boston-based Modella AI, the companies said, folding the startup's pathology-focused artificial intelligence tools into the drugmaker's oncology research operation as pharmaceutical companies seek tighter control over how AI is built and used in regulated development work.

The companies did not disclose financial terms. Modella said its multimodal foundation models and AI agents will be integrated into AstraZeneca's oncology research and development organization to support clinical development and biomarker discovery.

"Oncology drug development is becoming more complex, more data-rich and more time-sensitive," Gabi Raia, Modella AI's chief commercial officer, said in a statement, adding that joining AstraZeneca would allow Modella to deploy its tools in global trials and clinical settings.

AstraZeneca framed the deal as an expansion of an existing relationship. The acquisition follows a multiyear agreement announced in July 2025 and will extend the companies' work applying AI models and software agents across AstraZeneca's global oncology portfolio, they said.

In an interview at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, AstraZeneca Chief Financial Officer Aradhana Sarin said the acquisition would "supercharge" AstraZeneca's efforts in quantitative pathology and biomarker discovery by bringing more data and AI capabilities in-house.

Modella's approach centers on using computers to analyze pathology data such as biopsy images and linking findings to clinical information, a method companies hope can make pathology more quantitative and help identify biomarkers that may guide trial design and patient selection. Sarin said Modella will help AstraZeneca develop "highly targeted biomarkers and then highly targeted therapeutics."

The acquisition reflects a broader industry shift from pilot partnerships to deeper integration, as drugmakers move beyond experimenting with external AI tools and try to embed models and talent directly into research and clinical workflows. Sarin described the earlier AstraZeneca–Modella partnership as a "test drive," saying AstraZeneca ultimately wanted Modella's data, foundation models, and AI talent inside the organization.

AstraZeneca is betting that closer integration will speed decisions that often slow drug development, including choosing which patients to enroll and how to structure clinical trials. Sarin said AI tools could help select patients for studies more rapidly, increasing the odds of clinical success and reducing costs associated with delays or failed trials.

Modella executives said the company's technology will be deployed across AstraZeneca's oncology pipeline. "By joining AstraZeneca, we can apply our multimodal foundation models and agentic AI platform across a world-class oncology pipeline to accelerate development and help improve outcomes for patients with cancer," Jill Stefanelli, Modella's co-founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Faisal Mahmood, a Modella co-founder and a professor at Mass General Brigham, said the company was built "at the intersection of pathology, clinical data, and advanced generative AI" and that integrating its models into AstraZeneca's research ecosystem would help translate research advances into practical use more quickly.

AstraZeneca's Jorge Reis-Filho, chief of AI for science innovation, said the acquisition would add "frontier pathology foundation models and AI agents" to support the development of targeted therapeutics and diagnostics within its oncology portfolio.

The deal was among a series of AI-related announcements tied to the healthcare conference, where companies have been showcasing partnerships and investments to accelerate drug discovery and development. NVIDIA and Eli Lilly announced a $1 billion collaboration to build a research lab using NVIDIA's latest-generation AI chips.

AstraZeneca said the Modella transaction was its first acquisition of an AI firm. Sarin said 2026 is expected to be another catalyst year for the company, with multiple late-stage trial readouts anticipated across therapy areas, and reiterated the company's target of $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030.