AstraZeneca will use BenevolentAI’s advanced AI to dive into its disease area expertise and massive datasets to gain insights into the complex disease biology

AstraZeneca will use BenevolentAI’s advanced AI to dive into its disease area expertise and massive datasets to gain insights into the complex disease biology

AstraZeneca / BenevolentAI artificial intelligence collaboration will accelerate drug discovery

Potential new drugs discovery in the area of chronic kidney disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

(PRESS RELEASE) CAMBRIDGE / LONDON, 30-Apr-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — New partnership, announced today, by AstraZeneca and BenevolentAI will make a use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) aimed at the discovery and development of new treatments for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Under the partnership, AstraZeneca’s genomics, chemistry and clinical data will be combined with the target identification platform and biomedical knowledge graph of BenevolentAI. The BenevolentAI’s target identification platform and biomedical knowledge graph is a network of contextualised scientific data such as genes, proteins, diseases and compounds as well as the relationship between them.

In a nutshell, machine learning (ML) capabilities will be deployed into systematically analyzing data to find connections between facts while an AI-based reasoning will be applied to extrapolate previously unknown connections.

Then, AstraZeneca and BenevolentAI will interpret the results to understand the underlying mechanisms of these complex diseases and more quickly identify new potential drug targets.

Commenting on the AI collaboration, Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President and President BioPharmaceuticals R&D, said:

“The vast amount of data available to research scientists is growing exponentially each year. By combining AstraZeneca’s disease area expertise and large, diverse datasets with BenevolentAI’s leading AI and machine learning capabilities, we can unlock the potential of this wealth of data to improve our understanding of complex disease biology and identify new targets that could treat debilitating diseases.”

BenevolentAI’s CEO Joanna Shields commented:

“Millions of people today suffer from diseases that have no effective treatment. The future of drug discovery and development lies in bridging the gap between AI, data, and biology. We are thrilled to be joining forces with AstraZeneca to develop new insights and identify promising new treatments for chronic kidney disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.”

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are complex diseases in which the underlying disease biology is poorly understood and this disease complexity requires the interrogation of vast, rich datasets.

BenevolentAI has developed the Benevolent Platform, which is an AI discovery platform that can be used by scientists to try to discover novel pathways and mechanisms important in the pathophysiology of disease.

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company active in three therapy areas – Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism and Respiratory. The company is present in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

Media contacts:

Gonzalo Viña
+44 203 749 5916

Rob Skelding
Oncology
+44 203 749 5821

Rebecca Einhorn
Oncology
+1 301 518 4122

Matt Kent
BioPharma
+44 203 749 5906

Jennifer Hursit
Other
+44 203 749 5762

Christina Malmberg Hägerstrand
Sweden
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Michele Meixell
US
+1 302 885 2677

SOURCE: AstraZeneca