Generative AI Brings In Significant Transformations To The Pharmaceutical Industry
There have been rapid transformations in the recent past amidst industries. Right from manufacturing to healthcare, AI has brought in revolutionising changes in different operations. The pharmaceutical industry has been benefited to a great extent by the use of AI particularly in the field of drug discovery as well as development. Our focus in this blog shall revolve around the various uses of Generative AI in the pharmaceutical industry.
The ‘What’ and ‘How’ of Generative AI
Generative AI is all about the use of algorithms for the purpose of generation of new data. The algorithm gives the output on the basis of the input that it receives. The input can be in the form of text or even images as well as chemical structures. A machine learning subset, generative AI makes use of neural networks for the purpose of learning patterns that are there in the input data and generates new data that has similarity with the input data. In the pharmaceutical industry and specifically in the field of drug discovery and development, generative AI has been a boon. Drug discovery gets accelerated with the help of generative AI and this happens with the generation of new molecules that have specific properties and all this leads to the development of drugs in an efficient and faster way.
Generative AI and Drug Discovery
Drug discovery happens to be a complex process that is also time consuming. This process is associated with the screening of innumerable compounds for the purpose of identification of the drug candidates that hold the potential for further development. These molecules can then be used for the purpose of targeting particular diseases or specific conditions and also can undergo further optimization for being more efficient as well as safe.
Fresh and new chemical compounds could be synthesised that have never been there before. New drug discovery, that is what it could lead to and facilitate treatment of diseases that in the present times have no cure.
Innovative Combination of Drugs
With the identification of the drug candidate that holds potential, the step that follows it involves lead optimization where the structure of the drug molecule undergoes modification revolving around various properties of which efficacy is one. Generative AI could be of some help here. Generation of molecules holding similarity with the lead compounds but with enhanced properties is possible with Generative AI.
Making New Improvements
Drug repurposing involves the identification of new uses for drugs that are already in use. Generative AI helps in the generation of molecules that are related to the drugs in use but have different properties. These new molecules could be used in the treatment of other diseases after undergoing tests to prove its potentiality.
Meeting Specific Needs
Personalised medicine is an upcoming area where treatments could be tailored to meet individual requirements of patients considering the genetics and other features. Personalised drugs could be designed that have been optimised for specific populations of patients using generative AI. Outcomes of treatment could be improved and generative AI could help reduce the side effects of drugs by the generation of new molecules that have been tailored to individual characteristics of patients.
So we saw how generative AI could help the pharmaceutical industry in the development of drugs and also in making significant improvements in the treatment of different diseases and the healthcare industry as a whole.
Final Note
The dual combination of Generative AI and pharmaceutical industry seems to have a promising future. The field of drug development and discovery is immensely benefited by this technology.
