Dr. Ulrik Kristensen, Senior Market Analyst at Signify Research
Drug discovery is a notoriously long, complex and expensive process requiring the concerted efforts of the worlds brightest minds. The complexity in understanding human physiology and molecular mechanisms is increasing with every new research paper published and for every new compound tested. As the world is facing a new challenge in trying to both adapt to and defend itself against the coronavirus, artificial intelligence is offering new hope that a cure might be developed faster than ever before.
In this article, we will present some of the technologies being developed and applied in todays drug discovery process, working side-by-side with scientists tracking new findings, and assisting in the creation of new compounds and potential vaccines. In addition, we will examine how the industry is applying AI in the fight against the coronavirus.
Start-ups focusing on the use of artificial intelligence in drug development and clinical trials have seen significant investment in recent years, and vendors focusing specifically on drug design and discovery received the majority of the total $5.2B funding observed between 2012 and 2019
Information EnginesInformation Engines are fundamental machines behind applications in both drug discovery and clinical trials, serving as the basic information aggregator and synthesizer layer, on which the other applications can draw their insights, conclusions and prescriptive functions. The information available to scientists today is increasing exponentially, so the purpose of information engines being developed today is to help scientists update and aggregate all this information and pull out the data most likely to be relevant for a specific study.
The types of information going into these engines vary broadly. An advanced information engine integrates information from multiple sources such as scientific research publications, medical records, doctors journals, biomedical information such as known drug targets, ligand information and disease-specific information, historical clinical trial data, patent information from molecules currently being investigated at global pharma companies, proprietary enterprise data from internal research studies at the individual pharma client, genomic sequencing data, radiology imaging data, cohort data and even other real-world evidence such as society and environmental data.
In a recentanalyst insight, we discussed how these information engines are being applied in clinical trials to enhance success rates and reduce associated trial costs. When it comes to the upstream processes relating to drug discovery, their purpose is to synthesize and analyze these vast amounts of information to help the scientist understand disease mechanisms and select the most promising targets, drug candidates or biomarkers; or as we will see in the next section, to assist the drug design application in creating the molecular designs or optimize a compound with desired properties. Information is typically presented via a knowledge graph that visualizes the relationships between diseases, genes, drugs and other data points, which the researcher then uses for target identification, biomarker discovery or other research areas.
Drug DesignAI-based drug design applications are involved directly with the molecular structure of the drugs. They draw data and insights from information engines to help generate novel drug candidates, to validate or optimize drug candidates, or to repurpose existing drugs for new therapeutic areas.
For target identification, machine learning is used to predict potential disease targets, and an AI triage then typically orders targets based on chemical opportunity, safety and druggability and presents them ranked with most promising targets. This information is then fed into the drug design application which optimizes the compounds with desired properties before they are selected for synthesis. Experimental data from the selected compounds can then be fed back into the model to generate additional data for optimization.
For drug repurposing, existing drugs approved for specific therapeutic areas are compared against possible similar pathways and targets in alternative diseases, which creates an opportunity for additional revenue from already developed pharmaceuticals. It also gives potential relief for rare disease areas where developing a new compound wouldnt be profitable. Additionally, keeping repurposing in mind during the development of a new drug as opposed to having a disease-specific mindset, may result in more profitable multi-purpose pharmaceuticals entering the market in the coming years.
Recent substantial investment in AI for drug development has meant the start-ups have had the manpower and resources to develop their technologies. Compared to AI in medical imaging the total investment has been more than four-fold, even though the number of funded start-ups is equivalent between the two industries. This makes the average deal size for AI in drug development 3.5 times bigger than in medical imaging. The funding has been spent on significantly expanding and building capacity, as the total number of employees across these AI start-ups is now close to 10,000 globally.
A strong focus for start-up vendors is to create tight partnerships with the pharma industry. For many still in the early product development stages, this gives them the ability to test and optimize their solutions and to create proof-of-concept as a basis for additional deals.
For the more established start-ups, partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry turn the initial investments into revenue in the form of subscription or consulting charges, and potential milestone payments for new drug candidates, preparing the company for further investments, IPO, acquisition or continued success as a separate company. Pharmaceutical companies with high numbers of publicly announced AI partnerships include AstraZeneca, GSK, Sanofi, Merck, Janssen, and Pfizer, but many more are actively pursuing such opportunities today.
Many AI start-ups are therefore in the phase where they have a solution ready and are either looking for further partnerships or would like to showcase their solution and capabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic has, therefore, come as an important test for many of these vendors, where they can demonstrate the value of their technologies and hopefully help the world get through this crisis faster.
Understanding the protein structures on the coronavirus capsule can form the basis of a drug or vaccine. Google Deepmind have been using their artificial intelligence engine to quickly predict the structure of six proteins linked to the coronavirus, and although they have not been experimentally verified, they may still contribute to the research ultimately leading to therapeutics.
Hong Kong-based Insilico Medicine took the next step in finding possible treatments, using their AI algorithms to design new molecules that could potentially limit the viruss ability to replicate. Using existing data on the similar virus which caused the SARS outbreak in 2003, they published structures of six new molecules that could potentially treat COVID-19. Also, Germany-based Innoplexus has used its drug discovery information engine to design a novel molecule candidate with a high binding affinity to a target protein on the coronavirus while maintaining drug-likeness criteria such as bioavailability, absorption, toxicity, etc. Other AI players following similar strategies to identify new targets and molecules include Pepticom, Micar Innovation, Acellera, MAbSilico, InveniAI and Iktos, and further initiatives are announced daily.
It is important to remember that even if AI helps researchers identify targets and design new molecules faster, clinical testing and regulatory approval will still take about a year. So, while waiting for a vaccine or a new drug to be developed, other teams are looking at existing drugs on the market that could be repurposed to treat COVID-19. BenevolentAI used their machine learning-based information engine to search for already approved drugs that could block the infection process. After analyzing chemical properties, medical data and scientific literature they identified Baricitinib, typically used to treat moderate and severe rheumatoid arthritis, as a potential candidate to treat COVID-19. The theory is that the drug would prevent the virus from entering the cells by inhibiting endocytosis, and thereby in combination with antiviral drugs reduce viral infectivity and replication and prevent the inflammatory response which causes some of the COVID-19 symptoms.
But although a lot is happening in the industry right now and there are many suggestions as to what might work as a therapy for COVID-19, both from existing drugs already on the market and from new molecules being designed by the AI drug developers, the scientific and medical community, as well as regulators, will not neglect the scientific method. Suggestions and new ideas are essential for progress, but so is rigor in testing and validation of hypotheses. A systematic approach, fuelled by accelerated findings using AI and bright minds in collaboration, will lead to a better outcome.
About Dr. Ulrik Kristensen
Dr. Ulrik Kristensen is a Senior Market Analyst atSignify Research, an independent supplier of market intelligence and consultancy to the global healthcare technology industry. Ulrik is part of the Healthcare IT team and leads the research covering Drug Development, Oncology, and Genomics. Ulrik holds an MSc in Molecular Biology from Aarhus University and a Ph.D. from the University of Strasbourg.
Originally posted here:
Applying Artificial Intelligence in the Fight Against The Coronavirus - HIT Consultant
- Working at DeepMind | Glassdoor [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2019] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2019]
- DeepMind Q&A Dataset - New York University [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2019]
- Google absorbs DeepMind healthcare unit 10 months after ... [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2019] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2019]
- deep mind Mathematics, Machine Learning & Computer Science [Last Updated On: November 1st, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 1st, 2019]
- Health strategies of Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft - Business Insider [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2019]
- To Understand The Future of AI, Study Its Past - Forbes [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2019]
- Tremor patients can be relieved of the shakes for THREE YEARS after having ultrasound waves - Herald Publicist [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2019]
- The San Francisco Gay Mens Chorus Toured the Deep South - SF Weekly [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2019]
- The Universe Speaks in Numbers: The deep relationship between math and physics - The Huntington News [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2019]
- MINI John Cooper Works GP is a two-seater hot hatch that shouts its 306 HP - SlashGear [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2019]
- How To Face An Anxiety Provoking Situation Like A Champion - Forbes [Last Updated On: November 21st, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 21st, 2019]
- The Most Iconic Tech Innovations of the 2010s - PCMag [Last Updated On: November 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 24th, 2019]
- Why tech companies need to hire philosophers - Quartz [Last Updated On: November 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 24th, 2019]
- Living on Purpose: Being thankful is a state of mind - Chattanooga Times Free Press [Last Updated On: November 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 24th, 2019]
- EDITORIAL: West explosion victims out of sight and clearly out of mind - Waco Tribune-Herald [Last Updated On: November 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 24th, 2019]
- Do you need to sit still to be mindful? - The Sydney Morning Herald [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Listen To Two Neck Deep B-Sides, Beautiful Madness And Worth It - Kerrang! [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Worlds Last Male Northern White Rhino Brought Back To Life Using AI - International Business Times [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Eat, drink, and be merryonly if you keep in mind these food safety tips - Williamsburg Yorktown Daily [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- The alarming trip that changed Jeremy Clarksons mind on climate change - The Week UK [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Actionable Insights on Artificial Intelligence in Law Market with Future Growth Prospects by 2026 | AIBrain, Amazon, Anki, CloudMinds, Deepmind,... [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Searching for the Ghost Orchids of the Everglades - Discover Magazine [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Parkinsons tremors could be treated with SOUNDWAVES, claim scientists - Herald Publicist [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- Golden State Warriors still have prolonged success in mind - Blue Man Hoop [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- 3 Gratitude Habits You Can Adopt Over The Thanksgiving Holiday For Deeper Connection And Joy - Forbes [Last Updated On: November 26th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 26th, 2019]
- The minds that built AI and the writer who adored them. - Mash Viral [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- Parkinson's Patients are Mysteriously Losing the Ability to Swim After Treatment - Discover Magazine [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- Hannah Fry, the woman making maths cool | Times2 - The Times [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- Meditate with Urmila: Find balance of body, mind and breath - Gulf News [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- We have some important food safety tips to keep in mind while cooking this Thanksgiving - WQOW TV News 18 [Last Updated On: November 28th, 2019] [Originally Added On: November 28th, 2019]
- Being thankful is a state of mind | Opinion - Athens Daily Review [Last Updated On: December 2nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 2nd, 2019]
- Can Synthetic Biology Inspire The Next Wave of AI? - SynBioBeta [Last Updated On: December 2nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 2nd, 2019]
- LIVING ON PURPOSE: Being thankful is a state of mind - Times Tribune of Corbin [Last Updated On: December 2nd, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 2nd, 2019]
- AI Hardware Summit Europe launches in Munich, Germany on 10-11 March 2020, the ecosystem event for AI hardware acceleration in Europe - Yahoo Finance [Last Updated On: December 5th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 5th, 2019]
- Of course Facebook and Google want to solve social problems. Theyre hungry for our data - The Guardian [Last Updated On: December 5th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 5th, 2019]
- Larry, Sergey, and the Mixed Legacy of Google-Turned-Alphabet - WIRED [Last Updated On: December 6th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 6th, 2019]
- AI Index 2019 assesses global AI research, investment, and impact - VentureBeat [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2019]
- For the Holidays, the Gift of Self-Care - The New York Times [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2019]
- Stopping a Mars mission from messing with the mind - Axios [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2019]
- Feldman: Impeachment articles are 'high crimes' Founders had in mind | TheHill - The Hill [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2019]
- Opinion | Frankenstein monsters will not be taking our jobs anytime soon - Livemint [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2019]
- DeepMind co-founder moves to Google as the AI lab positions itself for the future - The Verge [Last Updated On: December 11th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 11th, 2019]
- Google Isn't Looking To Revolutionize Health Care, It Just Wants To Improve On The Status Quo - Newsweek [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2019]
- Artificial Intelligence Job Demand Could Live Up to Hype - Dice Insights [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2019]
- What Are Normalising Flows And Why Should We Care - Analytics India Magazine [Last Updated On: December 15th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 15th, 2019]
- Terence Crawford has next foe in mind after impressive knockout win - New York Post [Last Updated On: December 15th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 15th, 2019]
- DeepMind proposes novel way to train safe reinforcement learning AI - VentureBeat [Last Updated On: December 15th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 15th, 2019]
- Winning the War Against Thinking - So you've emptied your brain. Now what? - Chabad.org [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- 'Echo Chamber' as Author of the 'Hive Mind' - Ricochet.com [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- Lindsey Graham: 'I Have Made Up My Mind' to Exonerate Trump and 'Don't Need Any Witnesses' WATCH - Towleroad [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- Blockchain in Healthcare Market to 2027 By Top Leading Players: iSolve LLC, Healthcoin, Deepmind Health, IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation,... [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- In sight but out of mind - The Hindu [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- The Case for Limitlessness Has Its Limits: Review of Limitless Mind by Joe Boaler - Education Next - EducationNext [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- The Top 10 Diners In Deep East Texas, According To Yelp - ksfa860.com [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- 3 breathing exercises to reduce stress, anxiety and a racing mind - Irish Examiner [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- DeepMind exec Andrew Eland leaves to launch startup - Sifted [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2019]
- The Top 10 Diners In Deep East Texas, According To Yelp - kicks105.com [Last Updated On: December 17th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 17th, 2019]
- Mind the Performance Gap New Future Purchasing Category Management Report Out Now - Spend Matters [Last Updated On: December 17th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 17th, 2019]
- Madison singles and deep cuts that stood out in 2019 - tonemadison.com [Last Updated On: December 19th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 19th, 2019]
- Hilde Lee: Latkes bring an ancient miracle to mind on first night of Hanukkah - The Daily Progress [Last Updated On: December 19th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 19th, 2019]
- Political Cornflakes: Trump responds to impeachment with complaints about the 'deep state' and toilet flushing - Salt Lake Tribune [Last Updated On: December 19th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 19th, 2019]
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai Is the Most Expensive Tech CEO to Keep Around - Observer [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- Christmas Lectures presenter Dr Hannah Fry on pigeons, AI and the awesome power of maths - inews [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- The ultimate guitar tuning guide: expand your mind with these advanced tuning techniques - Guitar World [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- Inside The Political Mind Of Jerry Brown - Radio Ink [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- Elon Musk Fact-Checked His Own Wikipedia Page and Requested Edits Including the Fact He Does 'Zero Investing' - Entrepreneur [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- The 9 Best Blobs of 2019 - Livescience.com [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- AI from Google is helping identify animals deep in the rainforest - Euronews [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- Want to dive into the lucrative world of deep learning? Take this $29 class. - Mashable [Last Updated On: December 24th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 24th, 2019]
- Re: Your Account Is Overdrawn - Thrive Global [Last Updated On: December 27th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 27th, 2019]
- Review: In the Vale is full of characters who linger long in the mind - Nation.Cymru [Last Updated On: December 27th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 27th, 2019]
- 10 Gifts That Cater to Your Loved One's Basic Senses - Wide Open Country [Last Updated On: December 27th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 27th, 2019]
- The Most Mind-Boggling Scientific Discoveries Of 2019 Include The First Image Of A Black Hole, A Giant Squid Sighting, And An Exoplanet With Water... [Last Updated On: December 27th, 2019] [Originally Added On: December 27th, 2019]
- DeepMind's new AI can spot breast cancer just as well as your doctor - Wired.co.uk [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2020]
- Why the algorithms assisting medics is good for health services (Includes interview) - Digital Journal [Last Updated On: January 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2020]
- 2020: The Rise of AI in the Enterprise - IT World Canada [Last Updated On: January 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2020]
- An instant 2nd opinion: Google's DeepMind AI bests doctors at breast cancer screening - FierceBiotech [Last Updated On: January 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2020]
- Google's DeepMind AI outperforms doctors in identifying breast cancer from X-ray images - Business Insider UK [Last Updated On: January 4th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2020]
- New AI toolkit from the World Economic Forum is promising because it's free - The National [Last Updated On: January 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 20th, 2020]
- AKA Wants to Help People Break Bad Habits and Create New Positive Ones - Hospitality Net [Last Updated On: January 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: January 20th, 2020]