How AI is changing the life sciences industry for the better

In recent years, the life sciences industry has seen a dramatic jump forward into the digital age and as such, AI is being recognised for its potential to reduce costs, accelerate projects and improve the healthcare industry across the world. 

With the increased prominence and advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), it is set to have a measurable impact on the life sciences industry. Artificial Intelligence in the Life Sciences Market is estimated to be worth USD 5,402.1 million by 2026, signifying its dramatic increase in popularity in recent years.

So, here we dive into just a few ways in which AI is used within Life Sciences to push the boundaries of the industry even further.

Drug Development and discovery

AI has the ability to process and analyse large data sets, opening up opportunities to use data to design the right structure for drugs and make accurate predictions around the chemical properties of a drug and its effects. As a result, this input can speed up the drug development process for pharmaceutical companies in addition to ensuring that the drugs manufactured deliver the optimal therapeutic response to patients.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning can also affect the drug discovery process. AI offers a high level of precision to the often intricate and time-consuming discovery phase in drug development. That precision leads to faster development of drugs and lowers the risk of adverse reactions or failure of medicine. 

For example, Generate Biomedicines uses machine learning to accelerate the discovery of protein therapeutics. The company’s AI-powered Generative Biology platform analyses hundreds of millions of known protein structures and uses the learned patterns to create novel protein sequences that form the basis of new therapies.

Diagnosis of diseases

In recent years, artificial intelligence has played an increasingly influential role in the diagnosis of diseases. AI and ML are effective at identifying key characteristics in images that are often overlooked by the human eye. As a result, it can play a vital role in diagnosing cancer and other prominent diseases. 

A study by the National Cancer Institute in the US has found that AI has the ability to improve the accuracy and efficiency of cervical cancer screening and prostate cancer diagnosis.  Going forward, AI may also be used to diagnose a range of conditions, including heart disease and early Alzheimer’s. By enabling swift detection of life-threatening diseases, AI will help people enjoy longer, healthier lives. 

Clinical Trials 

Within the Clinical Trials field, AI and Machine Learning have the potential to significantly impact a range of key issues.

Artificial Intelligence will enable clinicians to analyse clinical data to improve and accelerate crucial steps in the clinical trials process. With the help of machine learning, healthcare professionals can mine all patient data into detailed, in-depth patient graphs. This improves the process of designing better study protocols, and accelerates patient recruitment and diversity, resulting in more accurate results.

Personalised healthcare

There are currently a vast amount of studies being undertaken into how artificial intelligence and machine learning can help to produce a tailored treatment plan for patients based on their health history.

Although the life sciences industry has not yet achieved a personalised healthcare system, the solution is on the horizon and AI technology will be a key driver in achieving this. The vast amount of data collected is exponentially increasing, with research predicting that the global usage of data will grow to 175 zettabytes by 2025. 

These large datasets, which include genetic information and electronic health records, has allowed medical professionals to have a clearer view of individual patients and their conditions, in ways that were not previously possible before. They are now able to leverage machine learning to identify trends, patterns and anomalies in the data that can help experts make better-informed decisions.

Find your next life sciences job with Quanta

Quanta is an experienced and renowned life sciences recruitment agency dedicated to improving the Life Sciences industry across the globe. We’re always searching for passionate, professional candidates to connect to our available job positions so that we can provide our clients with the very best employees for their companies.

No matter your experience in life sciences, our team at Quanta can help you find your next role. Contact us today and we’ll gladly be of assistance – or browse our life sciences jobs to see if anything appeals to you.