With AI and Machine Learning, vast drug and molecular data can be harnessed to build complex models, automatically, says Deepak Sapra of Dr. Reddy’s Labs.
HYDERABAD, May 24 The CONNECT) – Personalised medicine as a precision treatment is gaining ground with the technology advancement.
The precision medicine enables different medicines to different people suffering from the same disease since it is tailored to the individual patient based on his or her predicted response or risk of disease, said Deepak Sapra, CEO of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, today.
He was delivering the opening address at DXEM 2024–a day-long Summit on Navigating Digital Transformation in Engineering and Manufacturing initiated by Hyderabad-based Plural Technology.
Research is on personalised medicines, not just in Western countries but in India as well, he said. Car T, a unique cancer individual medicine, is gaining ground now. The world will see at least 15 to 20 new drugs in this area, Sapra said.
The National Cancer Institute of the US describes CAR T-cell therapy as a type of treatment in which a patient’s T cells (a type of immune cell) are changed in the laboratory so that they bind to cancer cells and kill them.
Sapra said an increased number of pharmaceutical companies are spending a higher percentage of amounts on R & D. Some are spending as high as 48% of their revenues and few are spending even more, he said.
By automating the drug discovery process, one can reduce the time and resources required to identify promising drug candidates, he said. “Technology helps to transform from I to We, illness to wellness,” he remarked.
Data is the key for technology-driven decision making. Data is also huge as an individual produces 1100 terabytes of data every year. The power lies in analysing that data, Sapra said.
With so many new waves of technologies around such as AI and Machine Learning, the vast amounts of data both drug and molecular data, can be harnessed to build complex models automatically.
This makes the drug discovery process far easier—and faster—to predict how drugs might behave in the body, allowing many early experiments.
Stating that drug discovery is a very complex and costly affair, he said it takes anywhere from 10 to 15 years and involves US $ 2billion or INR 16000 crore. After so much effort, the probability of success is just 1 in 10,000, probability is not more than 3O%.
Price control on the companies by regulators is another challenge that looms large. The only few ways to address these challenges are Innovation and collaboration powered by technology, he explained.
He said animals used in clinical trials can be replaced by simulated modes and optimising AI and technology which can also save time by 25 to 30%. Regulators such as USFDA (The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA); Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) are now recognising the importance of technology in drug discovery.
Peter Bilello, CEO, and President, of CIM Data delivered the keynote address on Digital Transformation and said digital enablement starts with end-to-end connectivity and ends with digital skills transformation.
In his opening remarks earlier Sunil Savaram, Founder & CEO, of Plural Technology, said the company specialized in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Enterprise Software services. “If you don’t go digital, you might be washed away by those who have gone digital,” he said and remarked: “It is like a shape-up or ship-out”.
According to recent studies, embracing digitalization in manufacturing could potentially add USD 1.04 trillion to India’s GDP by 2025, representing a significant boost to the economy, Savaram said.
South Korea spends 5.2% of its profits on R & D. Against this India spends just 0.8%. So, it is better to invest in technology and improve your engineering efficiency.
