Pathos AI, a clinical-stage artificial intelligence and technology company focused on developing cancer therapies, has entered into a collaboration and co-exclusive licensing agreement with AstraZeneca to advance the development of AZD4241, an investigational treatment for estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative (ER+/HER2-) breast cancer.

As part of the agreement, Pathos AI will lead the early clinical development of AZD4241, a preclinical oral proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) designed to degrade both normal and mutated forms of the estrogen receptor. Mutations in the estrogen receptor are estimated to occur in nearly 30–40 percent of patients whose disease progresses despite standard hormone therapies, creating a significant unmet clinical need.

The collaboration combines AstraZeneca's investigational oncology asset with Pathos AI's proprietary Foundry platform, an AI-driven drug development system that analyses multimodal biological, clinical and real-world patient data to improve clinical trial design, optimise dosing strategies and identify patients most likely to benefit from treatment.

According to the companies, the Foundry platform deploys thousands of AI agents powered by the Pathos Oncology Foundation Model to support data-driven decision-making throughout the clinical development process. The technology is designed to accelerate trial execution while improving patient selection and increasing the probability of clinical success.

Commenting on the collaboration, Iker Huerga, Chief Executive Officer of Pathos AI, said the biggest challenge in oncology is not discovering promising drug candidates but demonstrating their effectiveness in the right patient populations. He noted that AZD4241 has a compelling scientific mechanism, while Foundry is intended to identify the optimal patients and clinical strategy to validate its potential more efficiently.

The agreement expands Pathos AI's oncology pipeline to three major programmes spanning four tumour types. AZD4241 joins pocenbrodib, currently being developed for metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC) and relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), as well as DO-2, a therapy targeting MET-altered Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

Pathos AI said every programme within its portfolio has either been identified, evaluated or accelerated using its Foundry platform, reinforcing its strategy of integrating artificial intelligence into every stage of oncology drug development. The collaboration with AstraZeneca further strengthens the company's efforts to accelerate precision medicine by combining advanced AI capabilities with innovative cancer therapeutics.