CHICAGO, April 24, 2026, 11:05 (CDT)
Tempus AI Inc. plans to bring its molecular testing, trial-matching, and data tools to a large Southern California health system through a tie-up with the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Keck Medicine of USC. It’s the latest step by the Chicago-based company in trying to push its healthcare AI platform into everyday patient care. The companies unveiled the collaboration on Thursday, but kept financial details under wraps.
Tempus picks up access to a bigger slice of hospital operations here, reaching beyond lab results or pharma partnerships. USC laid out plans for the arrangement to reach the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck Hospital of USC, USC Verdugo Hills, plus its affiliated hospitals and clinics—together, they see more than 1.5 million patient visits each year.
Precision medicine hinges on customizing treatment using a patient’s genetic makeup, tumor specifics, and medical background. That’s the selling point here. USC’s initiative opens with precision oncology—cancer therapy mapped to the tumor’s molecular markers. Expansion into cardiology, neurology, and radiology could follow.
Investors have something to watch for in the short term. Tempus has scheduled its first-quarter earnings release for May 5. Back in February, the company projected $1.59 billion in revenue for 2026, with adjusted EBITDA—stripping out interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization—around $65 million.
USC’s collaboration unfolds in four main segments: clinical testing, genomic profiling — those tests scanning for genetic and other disease markers — trial matching, care-gap alerts, and joint research. Trial matching aims to spot patients eligible for targeted therapies and studies, a process in oncology that’s still slow and largely manual.
Vasiliki Anest, chief innovation officer at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, framed the effort as a way to bring “research, clinical care and innovation priorities” into alignment. Steven Shapiro, USC’s senior vice president for health affairs, said the deal is designed to steer patients toward “the most appropriate clinical trials and treatments.” Keck School of Medicine of USC
Ezra Cohen, Tempus’ chief medical officer of oncology, says joining forces with USC could build what he calls a “powerful, integrated ecosystem” that links Tempus’ platform with USC’s research and clinical work. Bold talk, but bringing it to life in clinics is where the challenge sits. Business Wire
Tempus hovered near $51.70 by late morning, barely budging, with a market cap holding at roughly $9.0 billion. Shares moved in a tight band, ranging from $50.57 to $52.64 during Friday’s session.
April’s been busy for the company, with deals and new products landing one after another. The release log lists a Gilead oncology R&D team-up, a rollout of automated active follow-up for oncology care, and a Predicta Biosciences assay partnership—all before the USC news hit.
Tempus faces plenty of rivals. Roche’s Foundation Medicine, Guardant Health, and NeoGenomics have all been flagged by Reuters as direct competitors in genomic profiling and cancer diagnostics—a segment where the size of a company’s data trove and hospital links can drive both the number of tests run and drug development deals.
The USC news, though, doesn’t spell out how much—or when—Tempus might see a revenue boost. It comes just as the company is under the microscope for privacy: a federal class-action suit filed April 15 in Illinois claims Tempus improperly acquired and shared genetic data linked to its Ambry Genetics buyout. The allegations remain unproven in court. According to Fisher Phillips, Tempus hasn’t yet had an opportunity to answer the accusations.
For Tempus, the USC partnership is a fresh chance to put its pitch to the test inside a major health system: can AI plus genetics actually change care—and will hospitals pay up, and stick with it? Investors will be looking at the May results call for cracks or proof: is this approach finally speeding up growth, or is Tempus just stacking up more deals without much to show?
