Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • COMMENT

AI can help to speed up drug discovery — but only if we give it the right data

Artificial-intelligence tools that enable companies to share data about drug candidates while keeping sensitive information safe can unleash the potential of machine learning and cutting-edge lab techniques, for the common good.
  1. Marissa Mock

    1. Marissa Mock is senior director of research at Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, California, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  2. Suzanne Edavettal

    1. Suzanne Edavettal is associate vice-president for research at Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, California, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  3. Christopher Langmead

    1. Christopher Langmead is director of data sciences at Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, California, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

  4. Alan Russell

    1. Alan Russell is vice-president for research at Biologic Therapeutic Discovery, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, California, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

Wide low-angle view of a white robotic arm on a table, surrounded by glass

Leaps in technology are supporting AI-guided drug design, such as this fully robotic workstation that can purify proteins and move liquids. Credit: Daniel Yoo

There is a troubling crunch point in the development of drugs made from proteins. Fewer than 10% of such drug candidates succeed in clinical trials1. Failure at this late stage of development costs between US$30 million and $310 million per clinical trial2, potentially costing billions of dollars per drug, and wastes years of research while patients wait for a treatment.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 621, 467-470 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02896-9

References

  1. Thomas, D. et al. Clinical Development Success Rates and Contributing Factors 2011–2020 (BIO, QLS & Informa, 2021).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Fernando, K. et al. Drug Discov. Today 27, 697–704 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Reck, M. et al. J. Clin. Oncol. 39, 2339–2349 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Deshaies, R. J. Nature 580, 329–338 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Mak, K.-K. & Pichika, M. R. Drug Discov. Today 24, 773–780 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rieke, N. et al. NPJ Digit. Med. 3, 119 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Raybould, M. I. J. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 4025–4030 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Jain, T. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 114, 944–949 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Heyndrickx, W. et al. Preprint at ChemRxiv https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2022-ntd3r (2022).

  10. Bailey, M. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.26.550653 (2023).

  11. Olsen, T. H., Boyles, F. & Deane, C. M. Protein Sci. 31, 141–146 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Competing Interests

All co-authors are employees and stockholders of Amgen, Inc.

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links