Artificial intelligence isn't just speeding up early-stage drug development, it's starting to unlock millions of dollars' worth of new efficiencies in clinical trials on cancer treatments, research shared first with Axios shows. Why it matters: AI-powered tools could shave months off time-consuming processes like recruiting and enrolling patients, monitoring results and interpreting data. - That could free up resources for more clinical studies and possibly lower the high failure rate for new drugs. What they found: A new Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development analysis found AI agents can accelerate clinical development of cancer drugs by approximately 10 weeks and reduce direct operating costs by as much as $5.6 million in…
Artificial intelligence is dramatically speeding up drug development — and a proprietary survey shows how it's priming a bigger automation push that's changing the trajectory of early stage pharma research. Why it matters: The TD Cowen survey of 80 biopharma leaders and insiders finds AI is compressing drug developers' preclinical costs and timelines by as much as 70%. - That's fueling demand for cutting-edge software, sequencing tools and computer models that will help churn out more experimental treatments in the next five years. The big picture: AI can't replace scientific intuition. But the way it can streamline the grueling R&D before human testing begins is making computer screens as important a feature of drug design as…
The world's first human trial of whether a drug can essentially make a person's cells younger sets up a reality check for one of the longevity field's most promising theories. Why it matters: The early-stage clinical trial will signal whether "cellular reprogramming" can be performed safely in humans, a prerequisite for any future claim that a treatment can slow or even reverse biological aging. The big picture: Attempts to prolong the human lifespan can refer to anything from better diet and exercise to the infusion of blood plasma from young donors. - The former is validated by decades of science; the latter has merited two warnings from the Food and Drug Administration that said such treatments lack any evidence of clinical benefit. …
Decades of scientific investment have paid off just in the last month, with researchers announcing promising breakthroughs against cancers and other deadly afflictions. Why it matters: They're all the product of a rigorous innovation system that delivers — though some have one important limitation: All they can do is buy someone a few more years. The big picture: We're still in the era of medicine where most miraculous new drugs don't cure the disease as much as allow sick people to live longer. - In economic terms, that ongoing medical care is expensive, and long-term diseases usually limit the number of years people are productive while increasing their lifetime medical costs. Driving the news: Recent weeks have featured a series of…