(Yicai Global) Nov. 6 -- Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is expanding its strategic partnership with the Shanghai government to upgrade its existing local research and development platform into a global R&D center and is setting up an AI innovation center.

The move will see the two sides collaborate closely in areas such as new drug development, AI-empowered healthcare and Big Data-integrated services, which will further promote the city's healthcare innovation, the UK-based company announced today.

The upgraded global R&D center will focus on areas with the most urgent patient needs and enable new capacities such as AI, Big Data, bio-analysis and translational medicine, further strengthening China's role in AstraZeneca's global network for new drug R&D, enhancing its core impact on early-stage R&D, global market access and translational science and promoting early-stage R&D and incubation of more global and local new drugs in China for the world.

Editor: Ben Armour