Immunai, a leading AI biotech company specialized in mapping the human immune system, today announced a multi-project collaboration and an initial discovery program with Boehringer Ingelheim focused on identifying novel T-cell targets across immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. The initial collaboration is valued at up to $15 million and extends through 2027, with the potential for expansion based on scientific progress and mutual agreement.
In the initial phase of the collaboration, the companies will build a data foundation spanning cancer and autoimmune disease and apply Immunai's single-cell AI platform to thousands of patient samples to identify T-cell dysfunction patterns in both settings. The most promising findings will be further explored in Immunai's wet lab, and will serve as starting points for new drug discovery and development portfolio projects at Boehringer Ingelheim.
T-cell dysfunction plays a key role in both cancer and autoimmune disease, yet these fields have often been studied separately. By combining single-cell multi-omic data, advanced AI and functional validation, the collaboration is designed to uncover clinically relevant biological mechanisms and novel targets that may not emerge from traditional, hypothesis-driven or more siloed approaches. Immunai’s AMICA-OS™ AI operating system integrates harmonized immune-focused single-cell data with foundation AI-models and lab-based target validation to generate actionable insights for drug discovery and development.
Cancer and chronic inflammatory or autoimmune diseases continue to place a major burden on patients worldwide. In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million cancer deaths globally, and autoimmune disorders affect millions of people, with recent large-scale research suggesting they may affect around one in ten people. For Boehringer Ingelheim, both oncology, inflammatory/autoimmune diseases are areas of high unmet medical need and strategic focus. The company is committed to pursuing novel approaches that can help push beyond the limits of current treatment options and improve outcomes for patients.
“Cancer immunology and autoimmune diseases both involve T-cell dysfunction, but they have largely been explored separately,” said Noam Solomon, Ph.D., CEO of Immunai. “This collaboration brings together large-scale, clinically grounded data, translational science and functional validation to support broad target discovery across both fields. By taking an unbiased approach across thousands of patient samples, we hope to uncover biological insights and therapeutic opportunities that would otherwise remain hidden.”
“Across oncology and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases, patients continue to face serious unmet medical need, and too many still lack treatment options that can meaningfully change the course of disease,” said Lamine Mbow, Ph.D, Global Head of Discovery Research of Boehringer Ingelheim. “At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are committed to identifying and developing new treatment approaches and novel modalities in areas where patients need more. This collaboration reflects our ambition to pursue innovative science and translate new biological insights into potential medicines that can improve patient outcomes.”
“I've spent decades in drug discovery, and what has always frustrated me is how artificially the field has been divided,” said Mikael Dolsten, M.D., Ph.D., Board Member of Immunai. “Researchers in oncology and autoimmune disease may be observing related T-cell dysfunction biology, but too often in separate systems and contexts. What is distinctive about this collaboration is that it is intentionally designed to bridge that gap through a concrete discovery program. I believe that approach has real potential to generate surprising and meaningful insights.”
The Boehringer Ingelheim collaboration is the latest in a series of partnerships reflecting growing pharma investment in Immunai's platform. In January 2026, Immunai announced a collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb to apply AMICA-OS across clinical development programs in oncology. In May 2026, Immunai announced a third expansion of its multi-year collaboration with AstraZeneca. Both partnerships are built around translating high-dimensional immune data into clinically actionable insights at scale.
For more information about Immunai, please visit immunai.com.
Immunai uses single-cell genomics and machine learning to decode the human immune system and improve the development of novel therapeutics. The company’s AMICA-OS™ AI operating system integrates large-scale immune data with foundation models to generate mechanistic and clinically relevant insights. With a team of over 170 experts, the company collaborates with leading pharmaceutical firms and academic institutions. Immunai is headquartered in New York City and has raised close to $270 million in funding to date. Find out more at immunai.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
