Many in venture capital and biopharma are anointing artificial intelligence the savior of drug discovery—but what can AI actually do?
In this eye-opening episode, Michael Marks sits down with Mike Nohaile, CEO of Prellis Biologics, to explore the hype versus reality in AI-enabled drug discovery. Mike details why, despite significant breakthroughs like AlphaFold and recent Nobel Prize win for computational protein design, fully AI-generated medicines still present challenges. He also discusses why we urgently need more effective medicines and details Prellis’ unique system which combines laser printed human organoids and an externalized human immune system with AI, enabling the discovery of fully human antibodies.
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Links:
Explore Prellis Biologics
Understand AlphaFold, DeepMind’s AI model for predicting protein structures
Read about the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- (00:00) - The Reality of AI in Drug Discovery
- (03:05) - The Need for Better Medicines
- (06:05) - Evolution of Pharmaceutical Therapies
- (08:55) - Challenges in Protein Drug Discovery
- (12:13) - AI's Role in Protein Design
- (14:46) - Limitations of AI in Drug Development
- (17:58) - Understanding Protein Structures
- (20:54) - The Future of AI in Medicine
- (22:36) - The Challenges of Drug Development
- (29:44) - Innovations in Antibody Production
- (35:01) - Advancements in Obesity Treatments
- (39:54) - The Future of Drug Discovery
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The TechSurge: Deep Tech VC Podcast explores the frontiers of emerging tech, venture capital, and business trends, with conversations tailored for entrepreneurs, technologists, and investment professionals. Presented by Celesta Capital, and hosted by Founding Partners Nic Brathwaite, Michael Marks, and Sriram Viswanathan. Send feedback and show ideas to techsurge@celesta.vc.
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