Roche to Acquire AI Pathology Company PathAI in Deal Valued at More Than $1 Billion

Roche plans to strengthen its precision cancer diagnostics capabilities by acquiring artificial intelligence (AI)-based digital pathology company PathAI for more than $1 billion (approximately 1.44 trillion won).

According to biopharmaceutical news outlet BioPharma Dive on the 7th (local time), Roche plans to expand PathAI’s digital pathology platform worldwide through the acquisition.

Digital pathology is a technology that generates digital images from actual tissue on slides to automate manual tasks. It enables pathologists to use AI in the diagnostic process and provide patients with faster results.

PathAI develops AI models that help analyze and diagnose patients’ tissue samples. Roche has partnered with PathAI since 2021 and expanded the collaboration earlier this year to include the development of AI-based companion diagnostic algorithms.

Matt Sause, CEO of Roche Diagnostics, said in a statement, "Digital pathology has the potential to improve the precision of cancer diagnosis and enable physicians to provide better personalized treatments."

Roche plans to combine PathAI’s digital pathology tools with its oncology diagnostics platform. It also expects PathAI’s clinical trial support and translational research solutions to create synergies with Roche’s expertise in companion diagnostics. This is expected to help biopharmaceutical companies identify new biomarkers and potential drug targets.