Chief.AI, in partnership with Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), has launched the first no-code, pay as you go, AI platform for drug discovery – offering greater access to AI and data in the areas of drug discovery, diagnostics and clinical trials.
The project, supported by an Innovate UK grant, saw Chief.AI and MDC collaborate on the development of the platform – with MDC developing the models, and Chief.AI the orchestration engine.
The cloud-based system simplifies the use of AI models for SMEs by providing access to valuable information, skills, resources, and expertise at the click of a button. It also provides production infrastructure and analytics for models; harnessing the power of AI in drug discovery like never before.
Chief.AI is the first no-code service of its type in the bioinformatics arena, meaning that SMEs can build applications quickly and without the requirement of substantial and expensive internal IT capabilities.
Development times can also be hugely reduced, with any required changes – whether due to altered circumstances or increased functionality – can be done so swiftly and at little cost.
The ability to utilise AI in this way is a huge advantage in an industry where the potential cost of failure is huge – 90% of potential drug candidates fail, often to the cost of hundreds of millions of pounds.
In drug discovery, AI can be utilised to resolve issues that have previously existed in the industry. It could, for example, be used to analyse and predict the behaviour of molecules in the human body much earlier than traditional methods, which financially could save billions in research and development.
Waqar Ali, Founder of Chief.AI said:
“As an orchestrator of AI, we are delighted to be able to make access to AI easier and more effective for healthcare providers around the world. Artificial intelligence will prove to be a great force multiplier for data intensive applications such as drug discovery and diagnostics, and with the help of the Medicines Discovery Catapult, Chief.AI is strategically poised to enable businesses around the world to connect to AI and reap these efficiencies seamlessly.”
Prof. John P. Overington, Chief Informatics Officer, Medicines Discovery Catapult, said:
“This is a very exciting time for drug discovery. The development and utilisation of AI has been something that the industry has needed to propel that next step forward, and with Chief.AI it is now possible. AI is going to be something that will permeate across all aspects of society and business in the years to come and it is wonderful that we are able to offer this platform to UK SMEs, providing them with information and expertise which otherwise would have been inaccessible.”
