Code, Chemistry, and Cures

Pioneering the Pill Bottleneck

By Dr. Nick van Terheyden aka Dr. Nick
LinkedIn: Nick van Terheyden, MD
X: @drnic1
Host of Dr. Nick: The Incrementalist#TheIncrementalist

On this episode I talked to Mati Gill (@matigill), Chief Executive Officer of AION Labs (@AionLabs), a first-of-its-kind alliance of global pharma and technology leaders and investors that have come together to create and adopt gateway AI and computational technologies that will transform the process of drug discovery and development for the betterment of human health.

Episode NOW on Demand

An AI-Driven Pharma Adventure

Mati discusses his background and journey from public service in Israel to senior roles at Teva Pharmaceuticals, including his visits to Nigeria, and highlighted the importance of innovation and regulatory agencies in advancing healthcare. Mati’s passion is bringing AI and machine learning to drug discovery and this led to the creation of AION Labs, a venture studio focused on revolutionizing pharmaceutical development using computational technologies. We discuss the venture studio model that involves creating and supporting startups in the AI and drug discovery field, providing them with up to four years to develop and validate their technologies.

We dive into the responsible integration of AI in drug development, acknowledging both the potential for breakthroughs and the need for ethical considerations. The good news is that the inefficiencies in the current drug discovery process, which often takes over a decade and billions of dollars, but Aion Labs’ mission to leverage AI to accelerate drug development, making treatments more accessible and affordable.

He highlights the importance of incremental approaches to innovation and especially the need to be realistic with the recent closure of a non-viable startup, demonstrating the importance of making tough decisions to focus resources on ventures with higher potential for success.

Listen in to hear the 3 essential pillars that define their approach and their focus on sharing research data and partnering with pharma companies to provide startups with valuable insights and expertise.

This article was originally published on the Dr. Nick – The Incrementalist blog and is republished here with permission.

About the Show

About the Show
For years Dr. Nick van Terheyden aka Dr. Nick, has served as a voice on the impact of new technologies on healthcare, earning a reputation as a leading authority on where the future of medicine is going. Combining powers of observation and real world experience, Dr. Nick has seen many predictions come true and makes the case that innovations in healthcare can be accomplished incrementally, not just by moonshot events. Tune in to hear Dr. Nick: The Incrementalist and his guests discuss what the future of healthcare looks like, how we will get there, and what it will take to improve healthcare for all.

Tune in weekdays at 4:00am, 12 noon, and 8:00pm ET.

Follow the Social Hashtag at #TheIncrementalist