Oracle & AstraZeneca to link AI research with care

Oracle and AstraZeneca have agreed to explore how AI and real-world data could be used in clinical research and patient care, with a focus on linking research insights to care workflows.

Under a non-binding agreement, the companies will examine how clinicians could use data and AI to identify eligible patients for clinical trials, speed up evidence generation and bring research findings into day-to-day care. The initial disease areas under consideration are oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.

Patient recruitment remains one of the main constraints on clinical trials. Earlier identification of suitable participants could improve trial efficiency and widen access for patients. The work would combine AstraZeneca's scientific and therapeutic expertise with Oracle's health data, cloud, analytics and clinical workflow tools.

Research link

The collaboration is intended to test selected use cases rather than launch a full commercial programme at this stage. The companies also plan to explore a continuous learning model in which insights from clinical research and routine care inform future study design, safety monitoring and patient care.

That model would rely on shared governance, reusable technical components and agreed outcome measures to assess results. These measures would help determine whether successful approaches could be extended across disease areas and geographies.

"This unique collaboration brings leaders in healthcare and AI together at a global scale to accelerate the journey from the discovery of medicine to patient care. Combining AstraZeneca's world class science with Oracle's deep data and technology expertise, we can help clinicians identify patients sooner, optimise clinical trials, and generate evidence continuously across the lifecycle of a medicine," said Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca.

The agreement reflects a broader effort across the healthcare industry to use AI and large datasets to improve the connection between medical research and clinical decision-making. Drugmakers and health technology groups have been seeking ways to use routine care data more effectively, particularly in trial recruitment, evidence generation and safety monitoring.

Oracle has been expanding its healthcare and life sciences work in data, cloud systems and clinical applications. AstraZeneca, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical groups, has been investing in digital and data-led approaches to drug development and patient care.

"Some of the most important opportunities for AI are in healthcare, where better use of data can help turn scientific innovation into better outcomes for patients. By bringing AstraZeneca's scientific expertise together with Oracle's data, cloud, AI, and healthcare capabilities, we have an opportunity to help accelerate research, connect more patients to clinical trials, and ultimately bring relevant insights into care faster," said Sicilia.

Care workflows

Another aim is to embed research-based insights into the systems clinicians already use, rather than keeping those findings in separate research environments. This could help care teams identify relevant patients earlier and support decisions with more up-to-date evidence.

Anne-Claire Gerbaldi, Chief Digital, Data and AI Officer, AstraZeneca, said the effort was also intended to address delays in diagnosis and treatment. "Too many patients are diagnosed late or face a long journey to get the care they need. To build the next decade of medicine, we aim to harness AI to connect learnings across science, clinical trials, and everyday care, generating insights that continuously strengthen research, accelerate innovation, and enhance patient outcomes. Bringing together the unique capabilities of Oracle and AstraZeneca, we believe we can support smarter clinical trials, strengthen safety monitoring, and help ensure patients are diagnosed sooner and receive the right care," said Gerbaldi.

Oracle Health and Life Sciences is expected to provide the technology and data environment for the work. Any progress will depend on governance arrangements within the health systems delivering care.

"Healthcare progress depends on shortening the distance between scientific insight and the decisions clinicians make every day. AstraZeneca brings deep scientific and therapeutic expertise, and Oracle will deliver the secure data, cloud, AI, and clinical workflow capabilities. This collaboration has the potential to help health systems identify eligible patients sooner, broaden access to clinical trials, and generate evidence that supports the next decision, all under the governance of the health systems delivering care," said Verma.