“Start-up slide decks are packed with claims that artificial intelligence (AI) will soon deliver new therapeutics from scratch, against previously undruggable targets, at record speed and low cost. Small biotechs and big pharma firms alike are similarly talking up the revolutionary impacts of these technologies for all aspects of drug discovery. But for David Reese, Amgen’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), many of the nearest AI gains will make neither the elevator pitch nor the front-page news…

Reese has long been thinking about how to make the most of AI. Since transitioning from Amgen’s head of R&D to its first CTO in 2023, he has been focused on rolling out a few high-priority applications in areas including target discovery, lead optimization, manufacturing and clinical trial recruitment. None of these wins are glamorous, he adds, but the field will likely look back on them as essential.”

From Nature.