After OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg is heavily investing in an AI-powered drug discovery program. The Meta CEO, along with his wife Dr Priscilla Chan’s research organisation, Biohub, launched an AI model focused on protein biology, as per Reuters. This adds to the growing race among tech moguls to take a leap in drug discovery through AI.
This project focuses to solve the core issue of one of biotech's biggest challenges: designing proteins that work inside the body of humans. Proteins are needed to produce energy to help strengthen the immune system. However, building effective proteins in labs has been expensive.
Biohub stated that its new system is based on the latest version ofEvolutionary Scale Modelling (ESM), which evaluates patterns in protein sequences which are shaped by evolution over millions of years.
Researchers note that the model can help the scientists to understand the protein behaviour and predict which designs might work before spending years testing in labs. Dr Chan mentioned that the team has already tested some of the model’s predictions in cancer and immune disease research.
She told Reuters, “We’re hopeful these models can help researchers move faster on problems they’re already working on in the lab.” Moreover, she highlighted that AI tools will be open-source, which means that outside researchers can use them instead of keeping the tech limited to their company.
Zuckerbergis not alone in AI-driven biotech. Altman has quietly become one of the biggest investors in the sector, backing companies that use AI to speed up drug development and study ageing-related diseases.
One of Altman’s biggest investments is Retro Biosciences. It is a startup that is working on extending healthy human lifespan. He has reportedly funded the company with an entire $180 million. This initiative is currently working on several experimental treatments, like Alzheimer's.
As more tech giants chip in money into drug discovery, the industry may seem to appear less like traditional pharma research and more like a new AI battleground.
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Govind Choudhary is the Chief Copy Editor for Tech at Times Now with over five years of experience in the media industry. He covers consumer technolog...View More
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