According to MIT Technology Review, developing new medicines remains an expensive and failure-prone scientific challenge, with new drugs taking many years to develop at significant cost. Most possible candidates never reach patients, particularly in the case of biologic medicines—therapies made from engineered proteins.
Artificial intelligence is now being deployed to address these challenges in drug development. The technology is helping scientists design the next generation of medicines by streamlining various aspects of the development process, though the article notes the work remains complex and resource-intensive.
The application of AI to biologic medicine development represents an effort to improve success rates and reduce the timeline for bringing new therapies to market. However, the fundamental challenges of drug development—including high costs, lengthy timelines, and high failure rates—continue to pose significant obstacles even with AI assistance.