SINGAPORE, May 18, 2026 -- AstraZeneca and Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific today announced a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to help advance digital pathology capabilities and elevate cancer care across nine Asia markets, a first in the region. This landmark collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of AI-powered digital and computational pathology through educational and training initiatives and improve biomarker testing in breast and lung cancer.

Left to right: Eldana Sauran, Arun Krishna, Lance Little and Christopher Chiam (Source: AstraZeneca)

Globally, nearly half of all breast cancer cases[1] and over 60% of new lung cancer diagnoses[2] occur in Asia. In breast cancer, almost half of Asian women present lower levels of HER2,[3] while TROP2 is present in 82–90% of non-small cell lung cancer.[4] Precise biomarker testing is hence key to guiding treatment decisions, and AI-enabled TROP2 assessment helps identify patients who are more likely to respond to antibody drug conjugate therapies.

This collaboration addresses the critical knowledge and adoption gap in AI-assisted pathology across Asia. Only 17% of clinicians consider themselves very aware of advanced pathology technologies, and usage of computational pathology-based tests in clinical settings is low.[5] For example, in the Philippines, 60% of medical oncologists report that unavailability of biomarker testing has hindered their practice.[6]

"Building resilient health systems is fundamental to our mission of transforming cancer care," said Arun Krishna, Area Vice President, Asia, AstraZeneca. "This collaboration aims to address existing diagnostic gaps across the region. By combining efforts with Roche Diagnostics to advance education and adoption of AI-powered pathology, we can support the integration of precision diagnostics into the patient journey, helping to match more patients to the right treatment at the right time."

AI-assisted pathology helps standardise diagnostic processes, reducing subjectivity, and improving accuracy. Studies show that AI-assisted workflows can[7]:

  • Improve diagnostic accuracy by up to 5%, reducing reading time per case by 36%.
  • Increase interpretation concordance by up to 15% by mitigating human fatigue and subjective bias.
  • Expand access to targeted therapies by reclassifying 24% of cases previously labelled as HER2-negative to HER2-low category.
  • Enable more precise patient identification through the first AI-powered companion diagnostic for TROP2.[8]

When patients are matched to the right therapies, clinical benefits could include improved response rates, extended progression-free survival,[9] and optimised healthcare resources.

"At Roche Diagnostics, we believe that timely and accurate diagnosis is the foundation of effective cancer care. Across Asia Pacific, gaps in access to advanced diagnostics continue to impact patient outcomes," said Lance Little, Head of Region, Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific. "Through this collaboration, we are focused on strengthening diagnostic capabilities and accelerating the adoption of digital pathology across healthcare systems. This is key to enabling more consistent and reliable diagnosis, raising the standard of care for patients with lung and breast cancer."

Across Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, the collaboration will activate educational and training initiatives that address local healthcare system needs and accelerate the integration of AI-assisted computational pathology into diagnostic workflows.

This non-promotional material is developed and funded by AstraZeneca

Z2-7573 | DOP: May 2026

References:

1.  Mengxia Fu, et al. The Breast, Volume 79, 2025.

2.  Chiu, Chao-Hua et al. eClinicalMedicine, Volume 74, 10270

3.  Yang, C., et al. (2025). Therapeutic advances in medical oncology, 17, 17588359251353083.

4.  Kuo, P., et al. (2025). PloS one, 20(4), e0321555.

5.  Aggarwal, C., et al. (2025). Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland), 15(19), 2527.

6.  Alberto, I. et al. (2023). The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 32, 100667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2022.100667 

7.  Rajadurai, P. et al. (2025). Annals of Oncology. 36. S461. 10.1016/j.annonc.2025.08.1037.

8.  BioPharma Asia. 2026. Roche granted FDA Breakthrough device designation for AI-driven companion diagnostic for non-small cell lung cancer. https://biopharma-asia.com/sections/roche-granted-fda-breakthrough-device-designation-for-ai-driven-companion-diagnostic-for-non-small-cell-lung-cancer/ 

9.  Fountzilas E, et al. Genome Med. 2022 Aug 31;14(1):101.

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