Now, enter AI. In combination with huge amounts of multiomic data, it has alleviated the bottleneck at the start of the drug discovery process by identifying a multitude of new targets. And simultaneously, new modalities like PROTACs and nucleic acid-based therapies mean that a much wider range of targets is feasible.
Just like the promise that electric engines held in the 19th century, the huge number of exceptionally diverse targets represents a substantial new opportunity – a wealth of potential therapeutic programs.
But this potential could be wasted, unless the rest of the drug discovery process can ramp up to meet the challenge.