Artificial intelligence can deliver real benefits for patients

 
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the face of medicines development. Machine learning tools are being used in drug design to help bring more effective and  safer therapies to patients.

While AI approaches to developing medicines is still in its early days, it is moving forward at great pace and UCB sees new opportunities to bring value to patients by staying at the cutting edge of this exciting field.

At the heart of our work in this area is partnership. We are pairing our expertise with the knowhow of technology companies and universities to gain early insights into the effectiveness and safety of potential new medicines.

UCB works with Iktos, a Paris-based AI company focused on deep-learning based de novo drug design to accelerate drug discovery in neurology and immunology; we collaborate with Accenture to speed up data processing of patient safety reports; and with the EFFIRIS consortium to predict the safety profile of medicines including cardiac safety before they are tested in human trials.

The latest example of our work in this field is our new partnership with Cresset and Inocardia. In a collaboration which also includes the University of Coventry and is supported by EIT Digital, this diverse group will develop improved computational methods for cardiac safety assessment. Our shared goal is to identify potential problems early, thus speeding up the development of safe and effective solutions for patients.

The new one-year project, along with existing partnerships in this area, show UCB’s determination to offer scientific leadership and to embrace innovation. With more than 90 years of experience behind us, we remain committed to improving the lives of people with severe diseases using the latest technological solutions – in medical research, in machine learning and wherever else we might find the knowledge needed to deliver for patients.