The field of artificial intelligence (AI) is constantly expanding, and it has revolutionized many industries, including the pharmaceutical industry. One of the latest startups to be launched in this field is DenovAI, an AI-powered biophysics solution that aims to discover potential antibodies completely de novo (from scratch). DenovAI is the second startup to be formed by AION Labs, an Israel-based alliance of leading pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Teva, with the support of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Israel Innovation Authority. With DenovAI, the goal is to use advanced machine learning and computational biophysics to discover antibodies with a broader scope, faster, and less expensively.
Antibody Discovery: A Time-consuming and Expensive Process
Therapeutic antibodies have become an established class of drugs that are used to treat a variety of diseases, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases. However, the discovery of new antibodies is a time-consuming and expensive process that can take years to complete. Currently, the discovery of existing therapeutic antibodies relies on immunization or in-vitro selection from large, pre-defined libraries with limited sequence space coverage. This process of selecting a drug candidate from billions of potential antibody sequences is laborious, expensive, and, in many cases, fails to identify functional antibodies.
The Need for AI in Antibody Discovery
AI has been increasingly used in the pharmaceutical industry to speed up the process of drug discovery and development. With the help of machine learning and computational biophysics techniques, AI can predict and identify potential drug candidates with a higher degree of accuracy and speed than traditional methods. DenovAI aims to build on recent advances in protein structure prediction, AI algorithms, and computational molecular biophysics techniques, to create a new paradigm for AI-driven antibody discovery.
DenovAI’s Approach to Antibody Discovery
DenovAI intends to build a next-generation computational platform for the de novo design of strongly binding antibodies directed towards epitopes of choice. To achieve this, DenovAI will combine advanced machine learning and computational biophysics to discover potential antibodies from scratch, and then suggest candidates likely to make effective drugs. The platform will be designed to predict antibody sequences and structures that bind with high affinity and selectivity to any given epitope with unlimited coverage of sequence space.
Dr. Kashif Sadiq, founder and CEO of DenovAI, said, “We have seen major advances in the field of therapeutic antibodies, but the process of developing new drugs is incredibly slow, vastly expensive, and inefficient. With the support of AION Labs and its partners, we hope to develop a cutting-edge solution that will disrupt the whole field, cutting discovery timelines from months to days. And which could dramatically broaden the scope of antibody therapy to many more diseases.”
The Role of AION Labs and its Pharma Partners
DenovAI will have the support of AION Labs and its pharma partners, who will provide the company with pharmaceutical data for model training and advanced machine learning development. AION Labs and its partners aim to create and adopt groundbreaking new AI technologies that will transform the process of drug discovery and development to contribute to the health and well-being of all people worldwide.
AION Labs has created an innovation model powered by BioMed X, which identifies great industry R&D challenges and carries out a global talent search for scientist-founders. Selected groups of scientists and computational biologists then collaborate to solve specific research and design challenges before selecting a founding team and setting them up for success.
The Future of AI in Antibody Discovery
DenovAI’s efforts to bring AI into the process of antibody discovery have the potential to significantly accelerate the development of new drugs and help identify therapeutic antibodies for a wide range of diseases. This could not only save time and money but also improve patient outcomes by increasing the availability of effective drugs.
Moreover, the impact of AI on the pharmaceutical industry is not limited to antibody discovery. OMEC.AI, the first startup formed by AION Labs, aims to develop AI-powered solutions to analyze pre-clinical data and identify gaps in efficacy and safety to improve the probability of success of drug candidates in clinical trials. This approach could also help to identify potential safety concerns and reduce the risk of adverse drug reactions.
In conclusion, the launch of DenovAI marks another exciting development in the field of AI and its impact on the pharmaceutical industry. By harnessing the power of AI, DenovAI aims to accelerate the discovery of therapeutic antibodies, potentially saving time and money, and improving patient outcomes. The success of DenovAI, along with other AI-powered startups in the pharmaceutical industry, could pave the way for a new era of drug discovery and development that could revolutionize the way we treat diseases.
| Start-up Name | Aim |
|---|---|
| DenovAI | AI-powered biophysics solution to discover potential antibodies from scratch |
| OMEC.AI | AI-powered solutions to analyze pre-clinical data and identify gaps in efficacy and safety to improve the probability of success of drug candidates in clinical trials |
References:
- AION Labs Launches AI Startup for De Novo Antibody Design. (2023, February 28). PR Newswire. Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/aion-labs-launches-ai-startup-for-de-novo-antibody-design-301757775.html
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