Jorge Reis-Filho

Legacy & significance

Reis-Filho built his career deciphering cancer genomics at the bench, at the Institute of Cancer Research and then as Chief of Experimental Pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering, before moving to AstraZeneca to apply AI foundation models and agentic frameworks directly to drug discovery and clinical development, one of the clearer examples of a working oncologist becoming an enterprise AI leader.

Major achievements & key works

• Chief of AI for Science Innovation, AstraZeneca (2025-present). Leads deployment of foundation models and agentic AI frameworks across AstraZeneca's drug discovery and clinical development pipeline.
• Chief, Experimental Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2016-2023). Directed a nearly eight-year research program integrating genomic technologies, big data analytics, and AI, bridging academic research and commercial biotech partnerships.
• Vice President, Cancer Biomarker Development, AstraZeneca. Led the creation and clinical validation of biomarkers used to select optimal cancer treatments and therapeutic combinations for individual patients.
• Professor and Chair of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research. Led a molecular pathology research program studying intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity and DNA repair deficiencies in cancer.
• Scientific advisory roles at Paige.AI, Repare Therapeutics, and Volition. Advised on AI-driven computational pathology diagnostics, including work supporting the FDA clearance of Paige Prostate.

Pivotal turning points

Year	Event	Impact
2006	Becomes Team Leader, Molecular Pathology, Institute of Cancer Research	Begins academic leadership in cancer genomics research
2010	Wins the CRUK Future Leaders Prize and USCAP Ramzi Cotran Award	Early-career research recognized at national level
2016	Joins Memorial Sloan Kettering as Chief of Experimental Pathology	Leads translational cancer research at a leading U.S. cancer center
2023	Joins AstraZeneca as VP, Cancer Biomarker Development	Moves biomarker research into pharmaceutical R&D
2025	Named Chief of AI for Science Innovation, AstraZeneca	Leads AI foundation model deployment for drug discovery

Sources & further reading

Primary sources

• Jorge Reis-Filho, LinkedIn profile

Recommended secondary sources