Boehringer Ingelheim and IBM have teamed up to accelerate the discovery of effective therapeutics using IBM’s foundation model technologies for uncovering novel candidate antibodies. Andrew Nixon, Boehringer Ingelheim’s global head of biotherapeutics discovery, expressed excitement about collaborating with IBM’s research team to make biologic drug discovery via technology a tangible reality. The aim is to expedite antibody discovery and deliver much-needed treatments for patients.
The collaboration involves Boehringer utilizing an IBM-developed, AI-driven model initially and further refining it with their proprietary data. Alessandro Curioni, IBM Research’s vice president for accelerated discovery, highlighted IBM’s expertise in extending AI’s impact and its commitment to aiding Boehringer in expediting therapeutic development.
Therapeutic antibodies play a pivotal role in treating various diseases, yet their discovery remains a complex and time-intensive process despite technological advancements. Boehringer and IBM researchers aim to accelerate this process through in-silico methods. These involve leveraging disease-specific information to generate new human antibody sequences. IBM’s foundation model technologies are instrumental in enhancing the speed, efficiency, and quality of predicted antibody candidates.
The foundation model technologies, proven in generating biologics and small molecules, are utilized to design antibody candidates for specific targets. These candidates are then screened using AI-enhanced simulations to select the most promising ones. Boehringer will experimentally assess these candidates, refining the in-silico methods based on laboratory results.
Boehringer’s collaboration strategy with academic and industry partners aims to revolutionize drug discovery, driving breakthroughs in patient care.
This collaboration signifies IBM’s commitment to leveraging AI and foundation models for expediting biologics and small molecule creation. Earlier successes include the accurate prediction of small molecule properties. IBM’s biomedical foundation model utilizes diverse public data sets, refining pre-trained models with partner-specific data to create proteins and molecules that meet desired criteria.
Boehringer Ingelheim remains dedicated to breakthrough therapies, emphasizing innovation to address critical medical needs. IBM, known for its hybrid cloud and AI services, aids clients worldwide in leveraging data insights, streamlining processes, and gaining competitive advantages.