Novartis and Microsoft collaborate to advance medicine with AI

Novartis is launching an AI innovation lab and has selected Microsoft as its strategic AI and data-science partner. The new lab aims to enhance Novartis AI capabilities from research through commercialisation and accelerate the discovery and development of transformative medicines for patients worldwide.

“Our AI Innovation Lab will bring together the best in tech, with the best in Life Sciences here at Novartis to accelerate drug discovery and drug development for patients all around the world. The AI innovation lab was an idea Spark, in a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and myself about the common interest we both have in using science, technology and great people to dramatically improve problems facing humanity. You have to go big to tackle the greatest challenges of our time. And I’m excited about this partnership and the possibilities it holds to help us reimagine medicine.” said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis.

Novartis will initially focus on three key areas;

• Generative chemistry – can AI and machine learning algorithms be used to suggest molecules with certain characteristics?
• CAR-T cell therapy platform – using advanced analytics and AI to drive precision in cell and gene production.
• Imaging – defining precision dosing of optical therapies for patients with optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the eye and the use of machine learning and AI.

To enhance patient outcomes with the application of AI in healthcare, the Pharmaceutiucal industry needs the ecosystem of partners, from big tech AI companies like Microsoft, to academic institutions and the start-up community who are innovating at the intersection of AI and its application to life sciences.

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