Quantum computing — described by pop astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson as “computing with atoms” — is an emerging technology with a potential for immense computational speed and power. For some problems, quantum computers can be exponentially faster than classical computers, while for others the speedup may be more measured. The promise for drug discovery could…
SandboxAQ, bearing Alphabet’s DNA, eyes quantum-inspired breakthroughs in drug discovery
Emerging as a spinoff from Alphabet’s experimental division X, SandboxAQ recently pulled back the curtain on its latest endeavor — the biopharma molecular simulation division AQBioSim. The venture has attracted investments from significant figures like former Alphabet CEO Eric Schmidt, who is now the chair of Sandbox AQ, and Salesforce.com Inc. founder Marc Benioff’s Time…
Generative AI could boost biopharma R&D productivity by billions, according to McKinsey
Generative AI stands to add trillions of dollars of value to the world economy, according to a recent McKinsey report. The consultancy noted that about three-quarters of the value of generative AI spans four areas — customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering and R&D. The latter could see a 12% annual lift in global…
A new microparticle approach may offer hope for reversing multiple sclerosis
Johns Hopkins researchers have made strides in a study focusing on multiple sclerosis. By applying microparticles to activate regulatory T cells, they were able to reverse MS-like symptoms in mice. There is no cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). But a recent study by Johns Hopkins Medicine shows encouraging progress towards: They have demonstrated the ability…
Contrastive learning-based model ConPLEx elevates drug-protein interaction predictions
Drug discovery, traditionally a labor-intensive process, often involves extensive computational work during experimental screening. Advances in AI, however, promise to streamline this process. To that end, a team from MIT and Tufts has introduced ConPLex, a computational model that uses large language model techniques, similar to those behind ChatGPT. The model analyzes vast amounts of…
What Google DeepMind’s introduction of AlphaDev sorting algorithm could mean for drug discovery
Researchers at Google’s DeepMind AI team have used AI to create advanced sorting algorithms, which although not specifically designed for drug discovery, could potentially benefit the field. Published in Nature, DeepMind’s latest work demonstrates the use of deep reinforcement learning to create more efficient routines for sorting and hashing. These algorithms find use in various…
Expanding genomic analysis: Inside NVIDIA Parabricks integration with Amazon Omics
Following the recent expansion of Amazon Omics, as covered in our previous article “Ready, set, analyze: Amazon Omics unveils new Ready2Run workflows”, we wanted to explore the role of third-party providers in shaping the landscape of genomic analysis and bioinformatics. NVIDIA is one of these providers. The GPU company has worked to integrate their Parabricks…
A timeline of Merck’s legal battle over Medicare negotiation
Marking the first legal challenge of its kind, pharma giant Merck & Co. took to the courts on Tuesday, directly contesting the U.S. government over the Medicare drug price negotiation program. The Big Pharma company’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, contends the program’s basis — the Inflation Reduction…
Beyond the trip with non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens in neuropsychiatry
Interest in ketamine and psilocybin as potential therapies for mood disorders has surged since around 2010. A groundbreaking 2000 study at Yale revealed the powerful antidepressant effects of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic. Unlike traditional antidepressants which can take weeks or months to have an impact, a single dose of ketamine led to significant improvements in…
2023 investment outlook reveals resilient life sciences sector despite funding fluctuations
The life sciences sector experienced an explosive boom during the pandemic’s early phase, followed by a slight cooling in funding in 2022. Despite this, the Barnes & Thornburg law firm’s 2023 Investment Funds Outlook report indicates that opportunities within the sector remain plentiful. John E. Kelly, a partner in the firm and chair of the…
Decoding Bayer’s digital health leap and its implications on drug discovery and personalized medicine
The German multinational pharma and biotech colossus Bayer is taking further steps to ramp up its focus on digital health by launching a new business unit. In 2022, Bayer invested $9.5 million in Woebot Health, an AI-powered behavioral health platform company. In 2020, it launched a venture known as G4A Digital Health Partnership Program to…
UBS: Generative AI is no silver bullet for drug discovery
Imagine a world where the process of developing life-saving drugs is as streamlined as a modern assembly line. In such a reality, generative AI in drug discovery might churn out promising compounds with similar efficiency and precision as a factory robot assembling a car. Moreover, such technology could chip away at the steep cost and…
CLN-619 antibody therapy offers a new hope for patients with advanced solid tumors
Boston-based Cullinan Oncology has unveiled data for its new monoclonal antibody therapy, CLN-619, ahead of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2023 meeting scheduled for June 2–6 in Chicago. The drug could potentially offer a new treatment option for patients with advanced solid tumors. Dr. Judy Wang, Associate Director of Drug Development at the…
Insilico Medicine wins IND approval for AI-designed USP1 inhibitor for cancer trials in U.S. and China
Insilico Medicine has made a significant breakthrough with its AI-designed USP1 inhibitor, ISM3091. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Insilico’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for this promising drug, marking a significant milestone for AI-assisted drug discovery. “The FDA’s acceptance of our IND for ISM3091 signifies that the FDA recognizes its potential…
PsychoGenics’ SmartCube prompts a reevaluation of CNS drug discovery
In an era of rapid AI progress, the quest to pioneer the first AI-developed drug candidates has led to an increasing number of these drug candidates entering clinical trials. One contender is ulotaront, an antipsychotic drug, that fared well in a phase 3 schizophrenia study published in NEJM in 2020. Sunovion discovered the drug in…
AstraZeneca launches pilot program for Cordio Medical’s AI heart failure app
AstraZeneca and the Bellvitge University Hospital plan to launch the first pilot program for the Cordio Medical HearO app. The HearO smartphone app provides widespread access to medical-grade technology for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). It enables the patient to monitor symptoms, manage treatment and improve quality of life. Astrazeneca said the pilot program aims to…
Ready, set, analyze: Amazon Omics unveils new Ready2Run workflows
Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently announced a significant expansion of Amazon Omics at the annual AWS Life Sciences Executive Symposium in Boston. Amazon Omics, which the company introduced last year, helps life science organizations to store, query and analyze genomic, transcriptomic and other omics data. While other tools such as Qlucore Omics Explorer, Genospace, StrandOmics,…
Codagenix taps synthetic biology and machine learning in vaccine development
In the quest to outsmart viral foes such as SARS-CoV-2, RSV and influenza, Codagenix, a clinical-stage biotech firm based in Farmingdale, New York, has engaged a unique arsenal: the intersection of synthetic biology and machine learning. Their weapon of choice is a blend of live-attenuated virus design and codon deoptimization technology. Their process involves introducing…
Drug Discovery & Development’s Brian Buntz clinches 2023 Azbee national gold award
Our own pharma editor, Brian Buntz, has won national gold in the 2023 Azbee Awards of Excellence. The accolade from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) recognized Buntz’s coverage for Drug Discovery & Development, which was highlighted in the sister print publication of Medical Design & Outsourcing. ASBPE is a widely recognized professional…
The big spenders: The top 25 pharma companies in R&D investments
In the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was desperate for a lifeline, the global pharma sector’s R&D prowess was thrust into the limelight. Now, as the pandemic begins to loosen its grip, the sector continues to make aggressive investments in research and development (R&D). At the tip of the spear of this…
FDA approves expanded use of Farxiga (dapagliflozin) for heart failure patients regardless of ejection fraction status
FDA has approved an expanded indication for AstraZeneca’s Farxiga (dapagliflozin). This decision, marking a significant milestone in Farxiga’s development, opens up its use in patients with heart failure, regardless of their ejection fraction status. This brings the total number of Farxiga’s approved indications to five. Ejection fraction in heart failure Ejection fraction is a key measure…
BenevolentAI is pioneering AI-driven drug discovery methods
“Can we treat chronic inflammation in ulcerative colitis by reversing immune cell activation in colonic mucosa?” That’s an example of a biological question that the AI-enabled drug discovery firm BenevolentAI (AMS:BAI) would ask when exploring a new drug target. Incorporating a disease, sign, mechanism and tissue into a single question provides focal points for the…
The growing influence of digital pathology in preclinical R&D: Spotlight on Proscia’s Concentriq
As drug discovery evolves, digital pathology platforms are playing a vital role in streamlining preclinical R&D processes and accelerating drug discovery. Proscia‘s Concentriq for Research reflects this trend. Earlier this year, we profiled PathAI’s AISight, a digital pathology platform designed to support AI-driven research. To learn more about Proscia’s digital pathology technology, we caught up with…
Astellas Pharma’s $1.7B Iveric Bio buy aims to bolster its ophthalmology market position
Astellas Pharma, the second largest Japanese pharma firm after Takeda, plans on scooping up the biopharma Iveric Bio for roughly $1.7 billion. Iveric focuses on discovering and developing novel therapies for retinal diseases, for approximately $1.7 billion. Astellas believes the acquisition of Iveric Bio will strengthen its standing in the ophthalmology market, by adding the…
Spotlight on the top 10 pharma employers of 2023
This roundup explores the top 10 pharma employers of 2023, highlighting their strengths and areas for improvement based on employee reviews and industry trends. In our ranking of top employers, we combined data from multiple sources using a weighted approach, emphasizing employee satisfaction, company benefits and industry recognition. Topping the list are Recursion Pharmaceuticals and…