Artificial intelligence hit a big milestone in January — the first drug designed entirely using artificial intelligence entered human clinical trials. The compound, created by Oxford-based biotech company Exscientia, is aimed at treating obsessive-compulsive disorder and reached this stage in less than a year — five times faster than it usually takes to get a drug to this stage.
It is the speed that made the rest of the pharmaceuticals industry sit up and take notice. It takes on average 10 to 12 years to bring a new drug to market, and failure rates are high. The industry is desperate for ways to speed up.
“AI could be a bigger revolution for the pharmatech industry than the development of DNA sequencing,” says Andrew Hopkins, founder and chief executive of Exscientia. He believes that artificial intelligence could cut the cost of bringing a drug to market by 30%.
30% sounds like a welcome break for an industry stuck in a downward spiral of mounting costs and falling sales. Pharmaceuticals industry statistics make for frankly depressing reading. The cost of bringing a drug to market has gone from $1.2bn to $2bn in the last ten years, but sales have more than halved.
Image Credit: Exscientia
News This Week
New $60 Blood Test Detects Lung Cancer Without Costly DNA Sequencing
A simple blood test that detects chemical changes in DNA identified more than 90% of stage 2-4 lung cancers in an early study, without relying on costly DNA sequencing. Researchers at Tel Aviv University and collaborating [...]
Reducing drug development failures with human-relevant models and AI
Professor Joseph C. Wu of Stanford University explains how stem cells, human-relevant models and AI are helping researchers predict which drug candidates are most likely to succeed before clinical trials. Researchers now have access [...]
Half of vaccines are binned – ‘fridge-free’ versions could change that
Vaccines that do not need to be kept cool in a fridge have been successfully trialed in patients for the first time, say UK scientists. Currently, most vaccines need to be refrigerated or frozen [...]
Mushroom Mystery: The Fungus That Makes People See Tiny Humans
A mushroom sold in markets and served in restaurants in Southwest China has an unusual warning attached to it: cook it thoroughly, or you may start seeing tiny people. For decades, people have reported [...]
Artificial intelligence used to design brand new viruses
Artificial Intelligence has been used to design brand new viruses that are fully functional and can replicate in the laboratory, say US researchers. It is the first time whole genomes have been successfully designed [...]
Molecular Manufacturing: The Future of Nanomedicine – New book from NanoappsMedical Inc.
This book explores the revolutionary potential of atomically precise manufacturing technologies to transform global healthcare, as well as practically every other sector across society. This forward-thinking volume examines how envisaged Factory@Home systems might enable the cost-effective [...]
Moderna kicks off Phase I Ebola trial as Africa readies itself for research
If the Phase I trial is successful, Moderna plans to quickly initiate Phase II and Phase III trials of its Ebola vaccine. Moderna has initiated a Phase I trial of its mRNA Ebola vaccine [...]
3D Human Brain Tissue Model Replicates Alzheimer’s Pathology
Summary: Researchers introduced a highly reproducible three-dimensional human brain tissue model capable of replicating complex neurodegenerative processes in Alzheimer’s disease. Developed over nine years using human stem cells, the self-organizing tissue spheroids integrate functional neurons, [...]
A Common Sugar May Loosen Cancer Cells and Help Them Spread
Chemotherapy may kill most ovarian cancer cells, but the few that survive can turn dangerously active. By releasing fructose, they may help nearby tumor cells break free and spread. Researchers at The Wistar Institute [...]
COVID-19 can wake up dormant viruses in the body, large study confirms
Virus reactivations by SARS-CoV-2 could worsen initial symptoms and increase risk of Long Covid. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists noticed that a SARS-CoV-2 infection can “wake up” other, dormant viruses already present in [...]
Scientists Discover the Brain May Enter a New Biological Phase Between 50 and 75
A single-cell study reveals major changes in immune cells, genome organization, and gene regulation within the aging human hippocampus, offering important insights into brain aging and dementias associated with age. Between roughly ages 50 [...]
Our books now available worldwide!
Online Sellers other than Amazon, Routledge, and IOPP Indigo Global Health Care Equivalency in the Age of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine and Artifcial Intelligence Global Health Care Equivalency In The Age Of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine And Artificial [...]
Unzipping the Code of Life: Scientists Pinpoint Where DNA First Opens
Researchers mapped where DNA first opens and how a helicase gate may release one strand as genome copying begins. Before a cell can divide, it must open its tightly wound DNA and begin copying the entire [...]
Scientists Tested an 8-Hour Eating Window and Found a Surprising Brain Benefit
Limiting the daily eating window may provide brain benefits beyond those associated with weight loss. Eating within a shorter daily window may provide cognitive benefits beyond those associated with weight loss alone, according to [...]
Focused Ultrasound Opens Blood-Brain Barrier to Treat Brain Cancer
Summary: A new study demonstrates that primary brain tumors (gliomas) are particularly receptive to targeted drug delivery using focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with microbubbles. The team developed a high-resolution MRI protocol to track blood-brain barrier [...]
AI’s promise and practical limits in drug discovery
AI tools are becoming increasingly common in early drug discovery, allowing scientists to analyse data and navigate large volumes of research. However, according to Dr Raminderpal Singh, turning that potential into consistent scientific workflows [...]
