MoleculeAI Newsletter- November 2024

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An Intelligent augmentation of biomanufacturing

Biopharma companies worldwide are actively  exploring capabilities of digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and deep tech to drive their digital transformation efforts. A key area of these technological explorations is focused on sustainable biomanufacturing.

According to a recent survey conducted by Deloitte, digital transformation is a top management priority for fifty-eight percent of the respondents, and 79 percent expect to realise the value of digital initiatives within the next five years. 

In a recent development, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is set to launch an iBioFoundry, funded by the National Science Foundation, that will integrate AI, robotics, and synthetic biology to drive innovation in biomanufacturing.

This cutting-edge facility will harness over a decade of groundbreaking research at the university, integrating synthetic biology, laboratory automation, and AI to push the boundaries of protein and cellular engineering. The Illinois iBioFoundry is one of five new biofoundries being launched across the US, each with a unique focus on advancing biology and biotechnology.

Likewise, pharmaceutical firm Amgen has recently announced the opening of its biomanufacturing site in Central Ohio, US, the newest in its global operations network and the most advanced facility to date, featuring AI and automation.

Reshaping biomanufacturing with intelligent fermentation technology is another area a few players are looking at—for instance, US-based startup Pow.Bio has raised $9.5 million to deploy the first-ever AI-controlled, continuous automated fermentation platform at scale. Pow.Bio's secret weapon comes in the form of an AI-controlled software named SOFe which promises a five-fold surge in productivity, while slashing capital expenses. This is an example of the first-ever AI-controlled, automated fermentation platform. Eventually, the startup’s goal is to unlock the economic viability of sustainable bio-made products by significantly driving down the high costs associated with biomanufacturing.

Leveraging these new opportunities, Germany-based supplier Sartorius recently announced plans to expand a drug discovery and biomanufacturing deal with American technology player NVIDIA. Sartorius is also collaborating with pharmaceutical player Sanofi to make new advancements in biomanufacturing through technological integrations.

Further, cell therapy is another area where the use of AI-enabled biomanufacturing can do wonders. Despite their immense promise and transformative potential, access to cell therapies is limited to a small number of patients and only at leading clinical centres worldwide. The currently approved CAR-T cell-based therapies are in fact some of the most expensive medicines in human history. Thus, to generate highly effective products while remaining scalable, low-cost, lower-risk, and quality-driven, the future biomanufacturing of therapeutic cells and biologic products must undergo a transformative shift with the help of technology.

To quote an example, OmniaBio is opening a new AI-powered cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility in Ontario. This will be the largest site in Canada dedicated to producing complex health treatments. OmniaBio plans to collaborate with pharmaceutical and biotech companies and academic centres to deliver comprehensive services from process, analytical, and associated AI development to commercial manufacturing.

Recent studies have also shown that the reliability and methodology of genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have advanced. SCHO-GEMs have aided in cell line and process development, thus impacting biomanufacturing efficiency, integration of CHO-GEMs with AI and advanced algorithms can enable autonomous bioreactor management for digital biomanufacturing.

While continued research is still needed to determine the most appropriate AI tools for biomanufacturing, the availability of high-quality process data from the industry is critical so that AI can be more successfully applied to the biomanufacturing areas. Further, firm policies, strategic partnerships across large platform developers, application-specific technologies, and mature companies are needed to augment biomanufacturing product development.

MoleculeAI in News

• Molecule AI has been awarded the title of Emerging AI-Powered Drug Discovery Platform at the prestigious BioSpectrum Asia Excellence Awards 2024.