OpenAI Targets Pharma Giants With Purpose-Built AI Model

OpenAI has introduced an artificial intelligence model that is purpose-built for scientific research and drug discovery.

The new GPT-Rosalind features improved tool use and a deeper understanding of chemistry, protein engineering and genomics, the company said in a Thursday (April 16) press release.

With this new AI model, OpenAI aims to help scientists overcome the current constraints of complex research workflows and reduce the time it takes to move a new drug from target discovery to regulatory approval, which is currently 10 to 15 years, according to the release.

“We believe advanced AI systems can help researchers move through these workflows faster — not just by making existing work more efficient, but by helping scientists explore more possibilities, surface connections that might otherwise be missed, and arrive at better hypotheses sooner,” the company said in the release.

OpenAI is offering GPT-Rosalind as a research preview in ChatGPT, Codex and the API for qualified customers through the company’s trusted access program. It also introduced a Life Sciences research plugin for Codex that is freely accessible and helps scientists connect models to more than 50 scientific tools and data sources.

The company is working with customers such as Amgen, Moderna, the Allen Institute, Thermo Fisher Scientific and others to apply GPT-Rosalind in research and discovery, per the release.

Sean Bruich, senior vice president of artificial intelligence and data at Amgen, said in the release: “Our unique collaboration with OpenAI enables us to apply their most advanced capabilities and tools in new and innovative ways with the potential to accelerate how we deliver medicines to patients.”

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Generative AI Can Elevate Health and Revolutionize Healthcare” found that generative AI innovations expand researchers’ capabilities, accelerating drug discovery and diagnostics.

It was reported in February that pharmaceutical companies are reshaping their operating models around AI to speed clinical trials and regulatory submissions. In addition, AI is reshaping drug discovery, clinical strategy and manufacturing optimization.

In March, pharmaceutical titan Eli Lilly said it struck a $2.75 billion deal with Insilico Medicine to use AI to accelerate the “discovery and development of novel therapeutics.”