Amazon Unveils AI Tool for Accelerated Drug Discovery
- tech360.tv
- Apr 15
- 2 min read
Amazon's cloud unit on Tuesday launched Amazon Bio Discovery, an artificial intelligence application designed to accelerate early-stage drug discovery. It allows scientists to execute complex computational workflows without needing to write code.
Amazon Bio Discovery provides researchers access to a library of specialised biological foundation models. These models can generate and evaluate potential drug molecules, along with an AI agent that assists users in selecting models, setting parameters, and interpreting results.
Researchers can send shortlisted candidates to integrated lab partners for synthesis and testing. Results are then routed back into the system to guide subsequent rounds of design.
Drugmakers and technology organisations have increased efforts to use AI to speed up drug development. Rajiv Chopra, vice president of healthcare AI and life sciences at AWS, told Reuters that the rapid rise of drug-discovery models has turned computational biologists who translate lab goals into machine-learning pipelines into a bottleneck.
Bayer, the Broad Institute, and Voyager Therapeutics are among the early adopters of Amazon Bio Discovery. Amazon Web Services also noted that 19 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies already use its cloud services.
In a collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the platform utilised multiple models to generate nearly 300,000 novel antibody molecules. These were then narrowed to 100,000 candidates for lab testing by partner Twist Bioscience, compressing work that can take months into weeks.
Chopra stated the service is intended to augment, not replace, scientists and contract research organisations. Jefferies analyst Tycho Peterson indicated that fears of AI reducing the need for instruments in drug research are largely overblown.
Peterson added there is scope to increase spending on tools as the pace and returns for research programmes rise. AWS, Boston Consulting Group, and Merck will also unveil an AI platform at AWS's Life Science Symposium. This platform aims at improving clinical trial site selection, a common bottleneck in drug development.
Amazon's cloud unit launched Amazon Bio Discovery, an AI application for early-stage drug discovery.
The tool allows scientists to run complex computational workflows without writing code, using specialised biological foundation models.
Early adopters include Bayer, the Broad Institute, and Voyager Therapeutics.
Source: REUTERS
