Artificial intelligence can accelerate the development of novel antibiotics, according to participants of the roundtable, Antibiotic resistance: Yesterday, today, tomorrow, held at Timiryazev State Biology Museum in Moscow.
“Artificial intelligence can accelerate discovery of antibiotics, but the pharmacology process is quite long anyway,” the scientists concluded.
According to Roman Kozlov, Director of the Institute of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (IAC) at the Smolensk State Medical Academy, the final stages of antibiotic discovery and testing on animals and humans cannot be controlled by artificial intelligence. The scientist added that no country now produces a big enough number of antibiotics, and that new drugs can only be developed in cooperation.
Mikhail Eidelshtein, head of the laboratory division at IAC, said it takes at least 10 years to develop an antibiotic. The cost of creating a new drug is $1 bln. At the same time, safety requirements for drugs are increasing, and bringing new products to the market becomes unprofitable.