Artificial Intelligence in the Biopharma and Healthcare Sector

AI in Pharma

In the pharmaceutical industry, a variety of sectors across the value chain are implementing AI approaches or consider doing so soon. For drug discovery and drug development companies like Berg, Benevolent AI, Atomwise, Exscientia, Insilico Medicine, and Numerate are among the leaders in the field. In supply chain and manufacturing, neural shows how AI, in combination with automation and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), provides entirely new ways to control processes, manage production lines, and do quality control and troubleshooting. Implementation of these novel technologies increases efficiency and productivity and leads to a safer working environment.

AI for Patients and Diagnostics

Combining genomics, biotechnology, wearable sensors, and AI leads to unprecedented levels of personalized and precision medicine and patient centricity and patient involvement in creating and providing treatments are taken to new heights. AI-based platforms provide interactive, personalized, relevant, and inexpensive communication solutions for patients and are being used to positively modify patients’ behaviors. These platforms can drive adherence, educate and motivate patients, encourage and help with sharing of data and improve overall outcomes. In diagnostics, AI helps with analysis of a variety of formats like images, voice, keystroke performance, EEGs, breathing, heart rate, and movement and sleeping behavior. In clinical trials, AI increases enrollment efficiency, improves patient matching, helps with design and management of the trial, and monitoring of patients.

Quantum Computing and Big Data

In parallel to advancements in the field of AI and ML, breakthroughs in other fields will have a major impact on future developments. In March 2018, Google announced Bristlecone, a quantum computer with 72 qubits. Earlier, in 2015, they announced a quantum computer 100 million times faster than a laptop, which translates to the same number of calculations in a day as it would take a laptop 274 thousand years. Although a practical quantum computer is not yet reality, it shows the possibilities. Furthermore, it is predicted that the world’s data will hit 163 Zettabytes by 2025, equivalent to watching the Netflix catalog 489 million times or 40 trillion DVDs, reaching the moon and back over 100 million times. A significant part of this will be healthcare data and global big data and analytics spending is predicted to reach $187 billion in 2019, up from $122 billion in 2015. Many agencies that try to forecast the future limit themselves to two to three years, since it becomes increasingly difficult to have a clear picture further ahead. Despite all these uncertainties, one thing is for sure: the future will be exciting and if you don’t want to miss the boat, better jump on the bandwagon soon.