{"id":595109,"date":"2026-07-20T13:48:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/595109\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T13:48:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:48:20","slug":"how-ai-is-supercharging-drug-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/595109\/","title":{"rendered":"How AI is supercharging drug development"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/25B01A07AA51B6BB1AD592E86982863FB9D05BC7AD3B40D44EA1999FC9F688E4\/subgraphmysterio\/resizefit_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Faxios_527%2F650e11c92a6874e18db9074e887f7040\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"Illustration: A\u00efda Amer\/Axios. Stock: Getty Images\" height=\"540\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-lglytj loader\"\/><\/a> Illustration: A\u00efda Amer\/Axios. Stock: Getty Images           <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Artificial intelligence is dramatically speeding up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/26\/medical-breakthrough-health-system-constraint#utm_source=yahoo_finance&amp;utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_campaign=subs-partner-yahoo-finance-AI\" data-ylk=\"slk:drug%20development;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;drug development&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">drug development<\/a> \u2014 and a proprietary survey shows how it&#8217;s priming a bigger automation push that&#8217;s changing the trajectory of early stage pharma research.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><strong>Why it matters:<\/strong> The TD Cowen survey of 80 biopharma leaders and insiders finds AI is compressing drug developers&#8217; preclinical costs and timelines by as much as 70%.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><strong>The big picture:<\/strong> AI can&#8217;t replace scientific intuition. But the way it can streamline the grueling R&amp;D before human testing begins is making computer screens as important a feature of drug design as traditional laboratories.  <\/p>\n<ul class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<li class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">The hope is to &#8220;create more shots on goal,&#8221; says Brendan Smith, director of life sciences equity research at TD Cowen, and to generate large amounts of data that can train the AI models to increase the odds of clinical success.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">There&#8217;s a considerable downstream effect on &#8220;wet labs,&#8221; where scientists will still evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the compounds.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><strong>Between the lines: <\/strong>The idea of a continuous research loop contrasts with the AI-fueled disruption and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/03\/25\/ai-job-loss-wealth-gap#utm_source=yahoo_finance&amp;utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_campaign=subs-partner-yahoo-finance-AI\" data-ylk=\"slk:job%20losses;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;job losses&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">job losses<\/a> hitting parts of white-collar America \u2014 though some segments of pharma could still be affected.  <\/p>\n<ul class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<li class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">The Trump administration&#8217;s push to reduce <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/16\/nih-reduce-animal-testing-research#utm_source=yahoo_finance&amp;utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_campaign=subs-partner-yahoo-finance-AI\" data-ylk=\"slk:animal%20testing;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;animal testing&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">animal testing<\/a> in biomedical research will probably pivot more work to computational tools, 3D human tissue models and other alternatives that predict the toxicity of a compound.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Demand for advanced software that can simulate biological processes and predict how two drugs can interfere with each other or adjust dosages for newborns and pregnant women will see the strongest upside by 2028, the survey finds.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Companies already are pouring money into prediction and modeling tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/medicine-and-dentistry\/in-silico\" data-ylk=\"slk:%22in%20silico%22%20platforms;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;\\&quot;in silico\\&quot; platforms&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">&#8220;in silico&#8221; platforms<\/a> that allow scientists to run thousands of virtual experiments in seconds and simulate the toxicity or stability of a drug.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><strong>By the numbers: <\/strong>The proprietary survey data indicates new drug development programs could grow by more than 10% in three to five years.  <\/p>\n<ul class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<li class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">That technology buying spree, along with more spending on labs, could account for an additional $1 billion in incremental spending.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><strong>Reality check:<\/strong> AI hasn&#8217;t yet discovered a drug that&#8217;s won Food and Drug Administration approval. And some investors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/pro\/venture-capital\/biotech-investor-pumps-the-brakes-on-ai-drug-discovery-7a724b51\" data-ylk=\"slk:question;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;question&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">question<\/a> its ability to have a significant impact on patients.  <\/p>\n<ul class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<li class=\"yf-1jsc1up\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">One <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s44386-025-00013-6\" data-ylk=\"slk:concern;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;concern&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">concern<\/a> is that all the engineering and optimization may not sufficiently factor in human responses \u2014 and how different people are \u2014 before the compounds reach clinical trials. Without more of that, skeptics say the new drug failure rate could remain around 90%.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Illustration: A\u00efda Amer\/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Artificial intelligence is dramatically speeding up drug development \u2014 and a proprietary&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":595110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[261],"tags":[291,289,290,252086,252085,243,18,19,17,252084,82],"class_list":["post-595109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-brendan-smith","tag-drug-design","tag-drug-development","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-proprietary-survey","tag-technology"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=595109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/595110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=595109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=595109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=595109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}