By Noah Mogyoros
As the semester kicks off and classes begin, one common topic spoken about among almost all professors on the first day of class was the discussion about the use of ChatGPT in their courses. This is a relatively new phenomenon; just two years ago, few professors or students knew what ChatGPT even was. This change reflects a new wave of technology, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the forefront. ChatGPT, an AI-driven chatbot capable of humanlike conversation through machine learning, is reshaping how professors assign homework, structure exams, and even teach classes. However, the AI revolution extends well beyond the classroom, influencing a wide variety of industries. Its impact on the biotechnology and healthcare industries is particularly intriguing, as AI has the potential to revolutionize medicine forever.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technologies that enable computers to perform a variety of advanced functions, including the ability to see, understand, and translate spoken and written language, analyze data, make recommendations, and more. AI can read massive amounts of data and use that data to draw conclusions and make decisions. Biotech and pharmaceutical companies are beginning to apply this technology in many capacities to facilitate innovation and personalized treatment.
One way AI is innovating the healthcare industry is by streamlining drug discovery and development. Developing a new drug and bringing it to market is a particularly difficult process; approximately 90% of drugs fail in the development stage. This can be attributed to several factors: many drugs lack the necessary funding to develop a drug to the point where it can be used for clinical purposes. The average cost of the total development of a new drug is $1-2 billion. Additionally, the lack of participation in clinical trials prevents the drug from being accurately tested. In other cases, it could simply be the lack of a viable drug.
AI’s advancements are helping to address these challenges. Companies and research facilities use these technologies to make the drug development process more efficient, saving time, money and resources. An example of this is Insilco, a company whose goal is exactly this: using AI to accelerate drug discovery and development. In 2021, Insilco used Pharma.AI, the platform they created to improve the quality and efficiency of pharmaceutical research, to discover a drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease. This drug was nominated as a preclinical candidate for development in under 18 months and started Phase I clinical trials only nine months later. It took Insilco a fraction of the time and money to set this drug in motion, largely due to the capabilities of Pharma.AI.
AI is also transforming the biotechnology and medical fields through personalized medicine. Traditionally, treatments are discovered and implemented in a one-size-fits-all method. A drug or therapy that is created to treat a disease is produced for a wide variety of patients that have that disease. Biotechnology companies and medical professionals have begun to work together to create a style of medicine that is tailored specifically for the individual patient: personalized medicine. Personalized medicine is an AI-powered technology that uses the patient’s genetic data to find the best treatment. AI algorithms analyze the massive amounts of genetic data and predict the patients’ responses to different treatments, allowing healthcare professionals to find the treatment best suited for the individual.
Exscientia, a British-based biotechnology research company, is a pioneer of personalized medicine. They use the power of AI to facilitate cancer treatment. Their AI technology analyzes patients’ responses to various treatments, down to the single cell level, giving them a thorough perspective on how the body, treatment and cancer cells all interact with each other. This innovative approach could change the trajectory of oncology research and reshape the future of cancer care.
While teachers and professors across the country are worried that the AI surge will ruin their classroom environments, it is important to realize all the revolutionary feats that can be accomplished through the power of artificial intelligence. The development of drugs that have the potential to save thousands of lives is being facilitated by AI, both in terms of their timeline and quality of product. Many of these drugs would otherwise never even see the light of day in the market. AI can also read massive amounts of data to discern the exact cell that is being treated in a cancer, as well as how that cell reacts to that treatment. However, AI’s capabilities in the world of healthcare extend well beyond drug development and precision medicine. Biotechnology is only beginning to explore the vast world of artificial intelligence, and the possibility of innovation knows no bounds.
Photo Caption: AI is revolutionizing the healthcare and biotechnology industries
Photo Credit: Unsplash