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Founder and CEO of Atomic AI, Raphael Townshend, explores AI’s usefulness as a tool to characterize molecular structure and advance molecule engineering.

Applying AI to Molecular Structure (BIO 2024)

Raphael Townshend, founder and CEO of Atomic AI, a US-based emerging biotechnology company specializing in applying the fusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and structural biology for RNA-based drug discovery, discusses the use of AI as a tool for characterizing molecular structure and, in doing so, advance molecule engineering.

“At a high level, why we care about molecular structure is because the structures of molecules really determine what they do: structure determines function, so to speak. What we found in the last few years is that AI is a very powerful tool for understanding the structures of these molecules,” Townshend says. He notes that, traditionally, methods for understanding structure have names, such as X-ray crystallography, or nuclear magnetic resonance, or cryo-electron microscopy. “The issue is that they can oftentimes be very expensive to use and slow to use; it's a very bespoke process. Every single structure that is solved can be a very manual and involved undertaking. And what we've seen is that we can take all this work that's been performed in the field of structural biology, of understanding structures, and feed that into these AI algorithms that are now able to predict those structures in minutes or seconds instead. We've seen these orders of magnitude speed up our ability to model these structures and understand what they look like in their native environments,” he explains, emphasizing that AI enables a “rational drug design”.

“We're already starting to see that and bear fruit today. The use of [AI] … speed[s] up the process of … the whole drug discovery space, of doing the whole drug discovery process, so to speak,” he observes. He further explains that, as an additional layer on top of the traditional drug discovery process, AI can enable rapid screening, or a rapid search, through many possible drug candidates. “[T]he idea is that we're using these kinds of approaches to get to better, faster drugs, and getting things faster to the clinic and running those through a better rate.”

“As I like to say, AI is a cool thing of the day. It's a powerful tool, but it's a tool nonetheless,” Townshend adds. “It's not going to be a panacea; it's not going to solve every single problem under the sun. In particular, the areas where AI works well are those where there's [a significant amount of] data associated with it … and, so, in areas where that data [are] more limited … that can be an obstacle to the development of the correct AI applications in this space,” he notes when discussing some of the hurdles in implementing AI in the drug discovery space. Townshend says that, to address these limitations, the industry would need to collect additional datasets to push progress forward.

“Some areas to really think about, for example, are 

 studies where the amount of animal data that we might have might be relatively limited as compared to high throughput screening stages where you have [much] data, comparatively speaking. [T]hese are resolvable obstacles, but, today, the amount of data out there does not allow for the use of AI in its most advanced form across the entire drug discovery landscape. And that's not even speaking about the development cycle, [such as] clinical trials. There's even more complexity and even more limitations interpret the data. So, while there was this dream of one day using AI across the entire process, right now, there are some key areas where it's providing significant leverage, and we're working towards shoring up those additional gaps,” Townshend says.

View the video above for the full interview with Townshend. Townshend spoke at the 

New Tools, New Times: Chemical and Structural AI for Drug Discovery

 panel at BIO 2024 in San Diego, Calif., which is being held June 3–6.

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Andrew Carnegie of Inaphaea BioLabs discusses the establishment of translational CROs and the role of PDCs in the drug discovery process.

A Look at Translational CROs and PDC Modeling (BIO 2024)

At this year’s BIO annual meeting, drug discovery and early phase analytics garner greater industry focus. Andrew Carnegie, PhD, head of Strategic Commercial Development, Inaphaea BioLabs, discussed some trends in the R&D analytical space and the advances being made to speed up the drug discovery process.

Carnegie explains that translational contract research organizations (CROs) aim to bring more clinically relevant humanized cell-based assays to the forefront early in the drug development pathway. Having clinically relevant data early on can help minimize the risk of failure of a compound/molecule in the preclinical and clinical stages of development, he notes.

“[A translational CRO] is really about providing design, input, and interpretation of results, in addition to just running the experiments, and sending a report based on the study,” Carnegie says. “We feel that better experimental design should lead to a more streamlined plan that is more efficient, and it provides our partners with better value for money. So, we're really looking at cutting down timelines and bringing more data points early on in the experiment so people can make decisions about their molecules early on, and hopefully be more successful in the preclinical and clinical stages.”

Carnegie also emphasizes that drug discovery is a challenging process with a low success rate of release of drugs. “Data suggests that poor prediction of efficacy remains the main cause of attrition and clinical failure. Around that, too, traditional drug discoveries relied on 2D cell cultures, often using non-human species, but animal disease models rarely reflect and represent the real causes, complexities, and phenotypes of human disease. This has really influenced a rise of 3D organoids and more clinically relevant, complex humanized cell models in paving the way for more accurate preclinical models that closely mirror human physiology and pathology,” he explains.

Thus, the humanization of the early phases of drug target validation has the potential to significantly improve how targets are validated for drug discovery, Carnegie adds. Among the tools now being used to humanize early phases of drug target validation are patient-derived cell (PDC) models. “The PDC is a primary cell culture, and it's established from the patient cancer cells, which were isolated directly from the tumor tissue or the patient body fluids. PDCs are maintained at a low-pass ID number, and result in a much higher clinical relevance than tumor cell lines. This really ties in with us wanting to bring humanized models earlier into the process to be more relevant and give more relevant clinical prediction and predictive data. The models are a great combination of accessibility and disease relevance,” he states.

Better early analytical work ultimately improves campaign success or the drug development process, Carnegie also emphasizes. “Our approach is to provide improved data by using more relevant 3D and hypoxia testing in disease-relevant systems, and bringing that [in] earlier … allows for more successful campaigns. [In addition], the kill-the-compound early approach is also very valid, allowing time and money to be better placed. So, with that early analytical R&D work, you can really get a [significant amount] of information upfront, [which] makes your decision easier on whether you'll take that molecule into preclinical and then into the clinic,” he remarks.

“PDCs are really the first step towards the true humanization of preclinical science and can be used to improve the translation of preclinical assets and enhance biological understanding,” Carnegie concludes.

Click the video above for the full interview. BIO 2024 is being held in San Diego, Calif., on June 3–6.

Andrew Carnegie, head of Strategic Commercial Development at Inaphaea BioLabs, discusses the establishment of translational CROs and the role of PDC models in the drug discovery process.

The PharmTech Group sat down with Himanshu Gadgil, CEO of Enzene 

Continuous Manufacturing and Cost of Goods (BIO 2024)

Continuous manufacture of biopharmaceuticals is a hot topic in the industry. According to Himanshu Gadgil, CEO of Enzene Biosciences, continuous manufacturing has an impact on a company’s cost of goods. “For example, in a 1500-square-foot cleanroom, we can manufacture in a month currently around 10 kilograms of mAbs [monoclonal antibodies], and we are enhancing that platform where we should be able to manufacture on 40 kilograms of mAbs,” Gadgil says. Therefore, he explains, if a company wanted the same productivity at the moment, they would need a huge plant.

This is where continuous manufacturing is truly beneficial, Gadgil continues. “So, one of the biggest advantages of continuous manufacturing is cost of goods, because the operational cost is much lower than the conventional manufacturing, [because] the footprint is more compact, and at the same time, the productivity is also very high,” he says. “Because when you do perfusion, you get significantly higher cell densities almost five to 10 times higher cell densities than the conventional fed batch.”

When building a new continuous manufacturing facility, unit operations should be connected so that the process flows continuously, remarks Gadgil. “So, that whole process connecting is very, very challenging when you're starting out, but once you have the platform set up … the advantage of continuous manufacturing is that the footprint is very small, so you can easily scale out so once you have the platform, it is very easy to put more of the these and also from a geographical perspective,” he summarizes.

Click the video to watch the full interview. Enzene Biosciences will be showcasing its services at the BIO 2024 convention in San Diego, Cali from June 3–6.

The PharmTech Group sat down with Himanshu Gadgil, CEO of Enzene Biosciences to discuss the benefits and challenges of continuous manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals.

Lee Cronin, founder and CEO of Chemify, discusses the combination of digital chemistry, robotics, and AI in the drug discovery space at BIO 2024.

The Intersection of Chemistry, Robotics, and AI in Drug Discovery (BIO 2024)

As BIO 2024 moves into full swing, Lee Cronin, founder and CEO of Chemify, a UK-based company specializing in building up digital chemistry for chemical research, discovery, and manufacturing, discusses how the combination of digital chemistry, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) are advancing the drug discovery space.

According to Cronin, the concept behind digital chemistry is to connect chemical reactions to synthesize molecules in standardized hardware, or in a standardized way. This involves “using a programming language so that we can very faithfully reproduce chemistry, on demand and also to a given quality,” Cronin states. The process of computation in digital chemistry is akin to running code on a computer, he emphasizes. “The concept of digital chemistry … is pioneering this ability to turn code into molecules reliably at scale, on demand, and also for the creation of quite complex molecules, and even APIs,” he adds.

The combination of programming language, robotic architecture, and the use of data and AI is creating a new approach to not just making molecules but discovering and doing process optimization, practically in one tool chain, Cronin explains. “What this means is that we should be able to go from the discovery process to dreaming up new molecules to then the optimization and scaling,” he says.

It is not necessarily easy to dream up a molecule 

 and then translate that into producing that molecule on demand because some aspects may not be worked out, or the yields might be low, or there may be other blocks, Cronin points out. “What Chemify has done is we've built a series of approaches that allow us to digitize chemical reactions and have them ready on demand—a bit like building blocks,” he states. This approach allows the user to pull a code and go from a chemical reaction A to B or from a chemical reaction A to D, depending on preference. “[This approach] allows you to go from your target that you dream of, to then work out what particular reactions you must do ahead of time, and, more importantly, allows you to restrict your search of chemical space when you're [early in the research process], when you're dreaming up new molecules to reactions you know how to do, [and] so this increases the speed that you can discover new molecules and make new molecules, and go through the cycle of design–make–test–analyze,” Cronin explains.

Of particular significance is that once a new molecule has been made, once the code has been established, that code can be reused and optimized to scale further down the line, Cronin points out. “You've got this programming language and these reactions and the robots that run it; [therefore], you're able to update your process continuously with the weight of the insights that you get,” he adds. With these chemical reaction insights, the data and methods can then be processed through AI, allowing for optimized yields, Cronin states.

View the video above for the full interview with Cronin. Cronin is speaking at the 

Lee Cronin, founder and CEO of Chemify, discusses the combination of digital chemistry, robotics, and AI in the drug discovery space.

Pharmaceutical Technology® spoke with Parviz Shamlou, senior vice-president of Science and Technology, Abzena

Impact of Biosecure Act on the Pharma Industry (BIO 2024)

As the bio/pharmaceutical industry gets ready for BIO 2024, the PharmTech Group sat down with Parviz Shamlou, senior vice-president of Science and Technology, Abzena, to discuss the impact of the Biosecure Act on the bio/pharmaceutical industry. Shalmou also provided his input on how companies can scale up manufacturing practices and how the use of continuous manufacturing in biopharma is progressing.

“We appreciate that [the Biosecure Act] is an important act designed to protect the health of citizens of this country. And we know we must do everything we can to avoid any unintended, potentially harmful use of our services as highlighted in the act,” says Shamlou. “[We] have put in place a robust contingency plan as well as a CMC [chemistry, manufacturing, and controls] strategy that are designed to mitigate any such risk to supply chain and the development of the assets that our clients bring to us.”

When it comes to continuous manufacturing in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, Shamlou believes the progress made in upstream processing can be made in downstream processing as well. “[In] the next few years, we'll see the introduction of continuous processing into downstream areas. And again, there are technologies out there, but those technologies will grow and will become, I believe, together with additional control strategy, more robust and will be ready for transition into manufacturing.”

View the video above for our full interview with Parviz Shamlou. Abzena is showcasing its services at the BIO 2024 convention in San Diego, Calif., which is being held June 3–6.

Pharmaceutical Technology® spoke with Parviz Shamlou, senior vice-president of Science and Technology, Abzena, about the impact of the Biosecure Act on the bio/pharmaceutical industry, as well as the progress of continuous manufacturing in biopharma.

Pharm Tech Group looks at the challenges surrounding the development and manufacture of ATMPs in more detail with Agne Vaitkeviciene, CEO of Memel Biotech.

Finding a More Optimal Way for ATMPs (BIO 2024)

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are a promising class of therapeutics that can provide useful treatment options for a wide variety of diseases. However, the development and manufacture of these advanced therapeutics is complex and challenging.

“The ATMP field is developing relatively slow,” explains Agne Vaitkeviciene, CEO of Memel Biotech, a Lithuanian-based specialized contract development and manufacturing organization. Development of ATMPs is hindered by factors such as the cost of the final product or the cost of manufacture, she specifies. One way to overcome such challenges, is “to find a more optimal way for manufacturing using innovative technologies using innovative solutions,” Vaitkeviciene adds.

However, manufacturing capacity and general expertise around ATMPs are also being discussed as potential hurdles to the advancement of these promising therapies. “I think the general capacity for biomanufacturing, not just ATMPs, is already an issue, especially in Europe; a lot of manufacturing was relocated somewhere else,” Vaitkeviciene says. Yet, a lot of the ATMP manufacturing is now returning to Europe and the United States, she continues, explaining that there has also been a push from policymakers to increase capacity.

“There has been a lot of [action to improve ATMP capacity] to catch up with the capacity manufacturing needs,” Vaitkeviciene notes. “And I think it will, [capacity] will catch up [with demand], I don't think it will go into a critical or crisis stage, I'm positive in that.”

Watch the video for the full interview. Memel Biotech will be exhibiting at the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego, Calif., from June 3–6.

 holds a BS in Molecular Biology (Vilnius University, Lithuania) and an MS in organ, tissue, and cell donation for Cell Therapy (University of Barcelona, Spain). Since 2006, she has been working in the field of cell therapy and ATMP manufacturing under GMP conditions. In 2013 Agne Vaitkeviciene co-founded a life science startup company and managed its activities in the field of advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) research and manufacturing as CEO until 2019. Since 2019, she has been actively involved as an expert in EU programs, such as IMI2, EIT Health Innostarts, and consults biotechnology companies in life science product development management. For the past five years, Agne has been actively involved in life science expert groups within Lithuanian governmental organizations such as the Innovation Agency of Lithuania and Invest Lithuania. Association LithuaniaBIO elected Ms. Vaitkeviciene as a Vice-President in 2019 and delegated her responsibilities of coordinating foreign affairs and startup support activities within the Association. In 2020–2023, she was the Executive Director of LithuaniaBIO. In 2020, Agne joined Cureline Group as a COO of Cureline Baltic and later, together with Dr. Olga Potapova, founded Memel Biotech in 2021 in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Currently, Agne is responsible for overall Cureline Group activities in Lithuania, provides leadership for the ATMP CDMO program, and coordinates BD efforts in the EU region for member companies of the Cureline Group.

Pharm Tech Group sits down with Bernard Sagaert, CEO of etherna, to examine the role of mRNA in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Exploring the Potential of mRNA (BIO 2024)

Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology was propelled into the limelight during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the pandemic, which saw mass vaccinations using mRNA-based vaccines and financial support for their production, had a significantly positive effect on the mRNA market that is predicted to grow to approximately $40 billion by 2033 (1).

Since the pandemic, much work has been done to explore other potential therapeutic applications of mRNA. One such area is autoimmune diseases, where etherna, a Belgian mRNA technologies company, has been working on a tolerizing mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform that restores immune homeostasis (2). “So together with [Hasselt University], we want to further develop our platform and make sure that we have all the data to show that this platform can be used in an autoimmune setting, and specifically that RNA and LNPs can be used in that setting,” notes Bernard Sagaert, CEO of etherna.

“Everybody knows that the RNA-LNP platforms have proven their use in vaccines,” Sagaert says. “The approach in autoimmune diseases is similar yet very different. You could call it an inverse vaccination, where the depletion of the disease-causing autoreactive T effector cells and the amplification of the regulatory T cells is what we’re looking for, and RNA-LNP technologies have the potential of doing that in different ways.”

Watch the video for the full interview. etherna will be exhibiting at the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego, Calif., from June 3–6.

. mRNA Therapeutics Market (by Application: Oncology, Respiratory Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Others; by Type: Prophylactic Vaccines, Therapeutic Vaccines; by End User: Hospitals and Clinics, Research Organizations, Other)—Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Regional Outlook, and Forecast 2024–2033

. Market Report, May 2024.
2. etherna. etherna and Hasselt University Announce Autoimmune mRNA Therapeutics Research Collaboration. Press Release. May 21, 2024.

Bernard comes with extensive operational and strategic experience in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry. He has expertise in manufacturing and distribution, and has an extensive operational background, both in companies and as consultant. He is a pharmacist from the University of Leuven, (Belgium) and has obtained the qualification of Qualified Person. He was a former QA and Supply Chain Director at Mylan in Belgium, and VP QA EMEAA at Sterigenics, a Sotera company.

Exploring the Potential of mRNA (BIO 2024) 

Pharm Tech Group chats with Dr. Monika Paulė, CEO and co-founder of Caszyme about the evolution of CRISPR.

Seeking Excellence with CRISPR (BIO 2024)

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is a novel gene-editing approach that has seen rapid commercial success with the approval of exagamglogene autotemcel (Casgevy) occurring within a span of only 11 years after its invention (1). For Dr. Monika Paulė, the advent of CRISPR came at a time when the industry and academia were “ready for something new and groundbreaking.”

Paulė is the CEO and co-founder of Caszyme—a CRISPR gene-editing platform company based in Lithuania. “We develop novel CRISPR tools, and work with other companies in their gene editing, portfolio development from discovery, research, development, and everything that's related to proteins engineering and making the CRISPR-Cas9 proteins, the best tools for the applications the companies are looking for,” she says.

However, CRISPR is not without its challenges, Paulė remarks. More tools are required to allow the technique to be more widely applicable, she explains. “We really need to find the right tool, the right technique for the right application [which] is still a little bit challenging,” Paulė adds.

“To improve the safety and efficacy of CRISPR, first of all, we have to seek excellence in CRISPR field at each and every step of CRISPR technology development and application,” summarizes Paulė. “So, we have to start from the very beginning, from very early research, and really find and develop the best tools, which are safe, which are specific enough, and which are effective enough.”

Watch the video for the full interview. Caszyme will be attending the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego, Calif., from June 3–6.

1. Sheridan, C. The World’s First CRISPR Therapy is Approved: Who Will Receive It? 

Dr. Monika Paulė, CEO and co-founder of Caszyme

 is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience in high-tech business and has a PhD in Business Management. In 2017, Monika co-founded 

, a biotechnology company that leverages CRISPR technology to empower a world that’s healthier, equitable, and more sustainable, where she acts as chief executive officer and board member.

With Monika's leadership, Caszyme has gained recognition as a renowned expert in CRISPR gene editing field among partners worldwide. By leveraging deep expertise in discovery and development of CRISPR solutions, alongside the company’s dynamic platform and strategic adaptation of complementary technologies, Caszyme is unlocking new possibilities for companies across multiple industries, from healthcare to agriculture.

Additionally, Monika serves as a vice president and board member at the life sciences association “LithuaniaBIO” and is a founder of many social initiatives such as “Women in Biotech” and “Gene Editing Summit”. Monika is an engaging speaker and moderator with experience at multiple international live events, broadcasts, and podcasts.

The PharmTech Group spoke with Stacey Treichler

Sustainability Goals Impacting Biopharma (BIO 2024)

Advanced therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have transformed the pharma industry, according to Stacey Treichler, senior director of Marketing and Strategy for Purolite at Ecolab. Various other innovations are also making their impact.

“We're seeing the increasing approvals of cell and gene therapies. And that's really exciting, because they're treating rare disease, degenerative disease, other hereditary diseases that were previously untreatable. But even within the antibody space, there has been quite a bit of innovation and disruption. So, we even see newer antibody modalities [such as] antibody fusions, bispecifics, multispecific, and antibody drug conjugates. And what's really exciting about those is they're also addressing unmet needs for things [such as] relapsed refractory cancer and other complex disorders,” Treichler states in an interview with the PharmTech Group prior to the BIO 2024 convention.

When it comes to saving costs, process intensification is allowing manufacturers to make more product with less footprint, according to Treichler. “And that's improving cost of goods for each gram of drug product manufactured. This can be applied across the traditional modalities, but also the more advanced modalities.”

The industry is also being impacted by the push for sustainability in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing, with companies factoring sustainability into their strategies. “One of the things that we would advise is, don't just think about your own internal operations, but think about the operations of your suppliers, because that's really an extension of your footprint,” says Treichler. “A key area that pharma companies can focus on is water usage. Moving cooling, heating, and treating water across any facility requires energy. And by reducing water usage, companies can lower their energy consumption and greenhouse gas.”

Watch the video for the full interview. Purolite/Ecolab will be showcasing its products and services at the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego, Calif., from June 3–6.

The PharmTech Group spoke with Stacey Treichler, senior director of Marketing and Strategy for Purolite at Ecolab, about the impact of advanced therapies, new innovations, and sustainability on the biopharmaceutical industry.

Pharmaceutical Technology spoke with Jeff Clement, PCI

Robotics in Sterile Processing

Using robotics in sterile fill/finish operations provides “hands-off” aseptic manufacturing, says Jeff Clement, executive director of Technical Sales for Development and Manufacturing Group at PCI Pharma Services, in an interview with 

® “Most of the robotic instruments don't even have a glove board. So, there's no human interaction with the equipment, which is great for contamination. You know, one source of contamination for a RABs [restricted access barriers] type of line would be the human operators, and with a robotic manufacturing system that takes that completely out of the equation.”

Companies already performing aseptic fill/finish are doing environmental monitoring and therefore have ISO 5 suites, according to Clement. “But with an isolator technology or a robotic system, which would incorporate isolator technology, basically, you can do that in an ISO 7 suite. So, actually, your classification is a little bit lower, so your environmental monitoring is lower. And basically, you can validate that the lower classification, which could be a quicker way to put in aseptic manufacturing.”

When adding robotic isolator technology to a new facility, modular systems are available that would require supporting services, such as HVAC systems, says Clement, “but with the lower classification required for your operating space for isolator and robotic technology,” he adds. “A lot of times, you can do that a little bit quicker and more economically than perhaps you could in the past [in comparison to] setting up a RAB system in an ISO 5 environment.”

PCI Pharma Services will be showcasing its products and services at the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego, Calif., from June 3–6.

Pharmaceutical Technology® spoke with Jeff Clement, executive director of Technical Sales for Development and Manufacturing Group at PCI Pharma Services, about the challenges and benefits of incorporating robotics into aseptic manufacturing.

Latest Conference Articles

Applying AI to Molecular Structure (BIO 2024)

A Look at Translational CROs and PDC Modeling (BIO 2024)

Continuous Manufacturing and Cost of Goods (BIO 2024)

The Intersection of Chemistry, Robotics, and AI in Drug Discovery (BIO 2024)

Impact of Biosecure Act on the Pharma Industry (BIO 2024)

Finding a More Optimal Way for ATMPs (BIO 2024)

Exploring the Potential of mRNA (BIO 2024)

Seeking Excellence with CRISPR (BIO 2024)

Sustainability Goals Impacting Biopharma (BIO 2024)

Robotics in Sterile Processing