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Algorae Pharmaceuticals and UNSW to develop AI platform for drug discovery and development

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By Imelda Cotton - 
Algorae Pharmaceuticals ASX 1AI UNSW University of New South Wales AI platform drug discovery development AlgoraeOS
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Expanding biotechnology company Algorae Pharmaceuticals (ASX: 1AI) (formerly LCT Global) is working to join forces with artificial intelligence scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) under a newly signed memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Under the MOU framework, Algorae and UNSW are working to finalise a master services agreement to facilitate the development of a unique artificial intelligence (AI) pharmaceutical discovery and development platform.

Known as AlgoraeOS (OS short for ‘operating system’), the platform will focus on deploying the latest machine-learning and other AI methodologies to derive insights from large-scale molecular, clinical and other data sets.

Algorae intends to use the predictive capability of AlgoraeOS to optimise its existing projects and to identify new drug candidates.

AI platform to mesh with UNSW Data Science Hub

AlgoraeOS will build upon an AI model trained for pharmaceutical prediction already developed by data specialists within the UNSW Data Science Hub (‘uDASH’). In collaboration with UNSW, the company intends to expand and refine this model specifically for Algorae’s purposes.

The proposed deal leverages the infrastructure and capabilities of uDASH, which comprises data specialists from across the UNSW universe and houses the fastest supercomputers in Australia.

These supercomputers will presumably be advantageous for running AI algorithms over enormous data sets that encompass a wide range of information.

Project to be led by an AI expert

The project is being led by associate professor Fatemeh Vafaee.

Dr Vafaee is an associate professor in computational biomedicine and bioinformatics and is also deputy director of uDASH.

She holds a PhD in artificial intelligence from the School of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.

In 2017, she launched and now leads the AI-enhanced Biomedicine Laboratory at UNSW, collaboratively working on deploying advanced AI techniques to address various biomedical problems.

Relying on multidisciplinary expertise and cross-faculty collaborations, Dr Vafaee and her team have developed various advanced machine-learning methods and deep-learning models.

AI thought to revolutionise pharmaceuticals

AI’s ability to process and analyse large-scale data, identify patterns, and make predictions is thought to increasingly empower pharmaceutical researchers to make informed decisions more efficiently.

This holds the promise to accelerate drug development, reduce costs, and ultimately lead to more effective and personalised treatments for patients.

As AI technologies continue to grow in favour and evolve, their impact on the pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow significantly, driving innovation, and improving healthcare outcomes.