Exscientia Launches AI-Powered Platform to Transform Drug Discovery
Exscientia plc (Nasdaq: EXAI) has announced an exciting expansion of its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance its drug discovery capabilities. The company is launching a state-of-the-art platform that combines generative AI drug design with robotic lab automation, aiming to accelerate the development of high-quality drug candidates at a lower cost.
Traditionally, drug discovery has relied on high-throughput screening (HTS), a process that can be slow and costly due to outsourcing. Exscientia’s innovative platform shifts this paradigm by using generative AI in its DesignStudio to identify promising drug candidates without the need for extensive screening. Once potential candidates are identified, they are synthesized and tested in Exscientia’s AutomationStudio, which employs advanced robotics to streamline the synthesis process. This integration allows for a seamless feedback loop, where data from testing improves the AI algorithms, enhancing both design and synthesis.
The platform supports a Design-Make-Test-Learn (DMTL) cycle, utilizing a range of AI and machine learning technologies, including large language models accessed through AWS’s Amazon Bedrock. This collaboration is expected to benefit not only Exscientia’s internal projects but also its partnerships, such as with Sanofi, fostering innovation across the biopharma landscape.
John Overington, Exscientia’s CTO, emphasized that the expanded partnership with AWS was a strategic move to enhance flexibility and scalability in their processes. David Hallett, the interim CEO, highlighted the goal of transforming drug discovery by integrating advanced technologies to deliver effective treatments to patients more rapidly.
Patrick Lamplé from AWS remarked on the cloud’s potential to accelerate innovation in life sciences, noting that the integration of AI and automated processes will help lower drug development costs.
Exscientia continues to pioneer the use of AI in drug development, positioning itself to change the economics of the industry and rapidly bring new therapies to patients in need.
