Microsoft ventures into pharmaceutical research based on AI technology

Today, Microsoft announced a new 5-year cooperation agreement with pharmaceutical research company 1910 Genetics (USA) to further promote R&D activities in this potential field, with the core motivation is the company's leading AI resource.

1910 Genetics, founded in 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, is an emerging startup in the field of pharmaceutical research and manufacturing. However, until now, 1910 Genetics' operations have relied mainly on initial funding from Microsoft, along with investments from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and several other venture capital groups. This is completely understandable because the business that the company pursues requires a lot of costs and time to achieve results. It sometimes takes more than a decade to develop new drugs, as well as go through a series of rigorous testing and approval and licensing processes. Even most drugs tested at Level 1 typically have less than a 10% chance of being approved by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

Microsoft ventures into pharmaceutical research based on AI technology Picture 1

The new official partnership agreement with Microsoft plays a very important role in ensuring the long-term development of 1910 Genetics, but it is also an open door to bring the Redmond giant into a market. Open business with a scale of many billions of dollars. Microsoft said its AI technology and features will combine computational data, robotic laboratory support, and multi-modal AI models to support the completion of research projects in the field. Much shorter time than traditional methods.

Microsoft has now added 1910 Genetics to its Azure Quantum Elements high-performance computing service as a pilot program in late 2023. The partnership announced today will expand on that pilot program . This will combine 1910 Genetics' solutions expertise with Microsoft's HPC services to help build a new pipeline that both companies hope will significantly increase the pace of R&D for new drugs. There is currently no financial information regarding this new partnership.

Microsoft has previously successfully deployed the Azure Quantum Elements service in a project designed to create high-performance lithium batteries, helping to quickly find new, more optimal materials to make batteries in just a few minutes. day. Similar AI resources from Microsoft will be leveraged by 1910 Genetics to help discover new drugs in much less time.

David Pac

Update 04 March 2024