The discovery of new medical drugs has taken a significant step forward with the announcement of a £1 million funding initiative from Innovate UK. This funding will support a novel project that brings together advanced artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to enhance the efficiency and productivity of drug discovery processes.
The project will include collaborations between Optibrium, which develops software to improve drug discovery, Intellegens, a University of Cambridge spin-out specialising in deep learning, and the North-west based Medicines Discovery Catapult. Over the next two years, the initiative aims to leverage AI to learn from complex data and assist scientists in designing and testing potential new drugs.
Current drug discovery processes face high failure rates, with nine out of ten potential drugs failing between phase 1 trials and regulatory approval. This significantly increases the costs of creating new medicines. However, recent advancements in computer processing power, the availability of large data sets, and the development of sophisticated algorithms and machine learning techniques present substantial opportunities for improvement.
The technologies and models developed in this project will help in the early stages of drug discovery by guiding the selection and design of compounds. This will enable the quicker identification of candidate drugs with a higher likelihood of success and lower development risks. Moreover, the research partners aim to gain better insights into drug interactions within the body, thereby enhancing the overall productivity and efficiency of drug discovery.
Matthew Segall, CEO of Optibrium, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: ‘We are delighted to lead this project in collaboration with Medicines Discovery Catapult and Intellegens. We will apply cutting-edge deep learning methods and new data to address important challenges in drug optimisation. The funding from Innovate UK is important validation of our project team’s expertise and the impact it will have on the industry’s efficiency and productivity.’
Similarly, Professor John Overington, Chief Informatics Officer at Medicines Discovery Catapult, emphasised the importance of this initiative: ‘At Medicines Discovery Catapult, we apply innovation, working alongside UK SMEs to drive the development and adoption of new approaches for the discovery and early development of new medicines. This collaborative R&D activity will allow us to do just that, and the grant from Innovate UK represents an important milestone for the advancement of informatics and data science.’
Ben Pellegrini, CEO of Intellegens, also commented on the collaboration: ‘Intellegens is extremely excited to be part of this collaboration and looks forward to applying our novel deep learning techniques to help build a next-generation platform to improve the drug discovery process.’
In conclusion, the £1 million funding from Innovate UK signifies a forward-thinking approach to overcoming existing challenges in the drug discovery process. By utilising AI and deep learning, the project aims to revolutionise the identification and development of new medical drugs, ultimately leading to increased efficiency and productivity within the industry.