Generative AI is making waves in drug discovery.

Drug companies are increasingly interested in how AI could potentially help speed up the drug discovery process, which can take around a decade and an average of $2.7 billion, the Financial Times reported. In Q1 2024, the global pharmaceutical industry saw a 45% increase in how often AI was mentioned in company filings from Q4 2023, according to Pharmaceutical Technology.

This time and money savings has been a “holy grail” for decades, said Anthony Gotzis, senior managing director at consulting firm FTI consulting, who told Healthcare Brew that “when AI can start to provide real intelligence around that discovery, trial and error—that’s going to be a huge shot in the arm.”

Zoom out. Drug discovery can be broken down into three steps, according to Alex Snyder, head of research and development at biotherapeutics company Generate: Biomedicines. Researchers identify a “target,” such as a disease or virus; they build a molecular structure for a drug; then they conduct clinical trials to see if the drug works on the target.

While automation has long been used for data collection and spotting data patterns, Snyder said generative AI is now making suggestions for new drugs in a fraction of the time.

Her team used the AI tech on Generate’s platform while developing a drug intended to prevent Covid-19 from spreading in the body.

Keep reading here.—MC

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The dental industry—like other parts of healthcare—is facing significant staffing challenges.

The US is in need of nearly 10,000 dental professionals and has more than 6,800 health professional shortage areas (HPSAs), which the US Department of Health and Human Services defines as “a geographic area, population, or facility with a shortage of primary care, dental, or mental health providers and services.”

While the shortage of dental workers is affecting states around the country, it doesn’t affect all regions equally. Of those 6,800 HPSAs, 4,571 are “rural” and 233 are “partially rural,” according to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Marko Vujicic, chief economist and VP of the health policy institute at the American Dental Association (ADA), said the shortage of dentists and dental professionals in rural areas is a “significant issue.” He added that underserved populations, particularly Medicaid beneficiaries, also lack access.

“If somebody asked me if there was a shortage of dentists, I would say no,” Vujicic told Healthcare Brew. “There’s plenty in metropolitan areas; there’s not enough in the areas that have the highest need.”

Keep reading here.—CM

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