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Hebei Daily | AI + Pharmaceutical Development Opens Up Vast New Possibilities

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发布时间：2024-08-29

【概要描述】

Hebei Daily | AI + Pharmaceutical Development Opens Up Vast New Possibilities

At the Pharmaceutical Research Institute of Shijiazhuang Sihua Pharmaceutical Group, there is a unique experimental area. It lacks state-of-the-art instruments, test tubes, and reagents—only a few seemingly ordinary computers.

“This is our AI-plus-new-drug-discovery studio. The data flashing on the screen are all results from AI-driven drug screening.” On August 12, Li Yuan, Deputy Director of the Innovation Department at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, pointed to the display and told reporters that, in the not-too-distant future, this could well be the starting point for a new drug.

Everyone knows that AI can write poetry and create art—so what kind of breakthroughs will occur when AI meets drug discovery?

In the field of drug discovery, the “10–10 Rule” is widely cited: it takes about 10 years and $1 billion to bring a new drug to market. “Drug discovery is largely governed by chance, and the technical challenges are akin to finding a needle in a haystack,” Li Yuan explained.

To break the “impasse” of traditional drug screening, since 2022, Shisi Pharmaceutical has been strategically positioning itself in the emerging field of AI-driven drug discovery. Li Yuan, who earned her PhD from Jilin University, has embraced the new vision of “AI-powered intelligent drug discovery” and, together with her colleagues, has built an AI-assisted drug-screening platform from the ground up.

What makes this new platform so special?

“The computers here are connected to the server in the main control room on the first floor,” Li Yuan explained to the reporter as she operated the computer. “During high-throughput virtual screening, all 96 central processing units work in tandem, enabling round-the-clock, uninterrupted screening.”

“The application of AI technology enables us to design molecules more intelligently, synthesize them more rapidly, and quickly pinpoint the optimal ‘needle’—that is, the most promising target,” explained Li Yuan. She went on to say that, thanks to its strengths in data and algorithms, AI can both accelerate virtual screening of molecules, thereby boosting efficiency and success rates, and break free from the constraints of conventional expertise, inspiring new ideas.

AI is opening up new possibilities for new-drug discovery. “Throughout the R&D process, failure is an everyday reality. There was a period when I didn’t go home for two months and lived and worked at the office,” Li Yuan recalled, deeply moved by the challenges. “When developing innovative drugs, you must be able to endure solitude; every failure will help you grow.”

Currently, Li Yuan and her team are accelerating the screening and design of new drugs for diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, and other conditions, and have already achieved preliminary progress. “With the help of this platform, we were able to screen more than 100 novel compounds from a library of 300 million compounds in just over a month—something that would have taken at least two to three years in the past,” she said excitedly.

“In the field of AI-driven drug discovery, data is both the foundation and the key to unlocking breakthroughs.” In Li Yuan’s view, the more high-quality data there is, the smarter the AI “brain” becomes. “The future competitive edge will undoubtedly lie in databases,” she says. For example, when targeting a new biological target, pharmaceutical companies that have built comprehensive databases can first conduct their own screening to identify suitable lead compounds before advancing to further R&D—much like getting a head start in the race for drug development and gaining a strategic advantage from the outset.

“Although no drugs developed with the aid of AI technology have yet been approved for market, the continuous breakthroughs in data algorithms open up enormous potential for the future. We are working tirelessly to move in this direction,” Li Yuan said with great anticipation.

“For the pharmaceutical industry, AI is a tool that can break the ‘10–10 rule’; for enterprises, it offers an opportunity to leapfrog and overtake competitors.” Wu Hengyao, President of Shijiazhuang Sihua Pharmaceutical Group, stated that the company will intensify its exploration in this cutting-edge field, driving more “pharmaceuticals” toward “smart medicines” and enabling more patients to benefit.

(Hebei Daily reporter Zhou Jie)

Keywords:

Hebei Daily | 100 Generic Drugs Have Passed Evaluation—Innovation Is the Key

Shijiazhuang Daily | How Much Productivity Can “AI + Pharmaceuticals” Unleash?

Hebei Daily | 100 Generic Drugs Have Passed Evaluation—Innovation Is the Key

Shijiazhuang Daily | How Much Productivity Can “AI + Pharmaceuticals” Unleash?