Spark(s Fly): The Crick Science Entrepreneur Network
/A CTO, research scientist and strategy manager walk into the Crick…
The Friday evening session of London Health Tech Week was always going to be a popular event. Throw in the impressive surroundings of the Crick and subject matter of ‘AI, ML and the Future of Healthcare’ and it’s easy to see why there was a waiting list for this meetup.
Bringing together industry and investor voices in two panels, with an interval-scheduled Pitch Fest, moderators Tanmay Gupta and Andrea Balukova chaired some interesting discussions. Here are some of the takeaways:
AI that glitters is not gold
The first panel were not convinced AI has enhanced the fields of drug discovery and formulation. Their answer to this opening question was surprisingly negative considering how much hype outsiders (like me) hear about the potential for AI in discovering new drugs. Experienced figures like Lindsay Edwards of Relation Therapeutics decried the gains, calling for AI to be used as a tool in the drug discovery process rather than expecting it to be the process in and of itself.
Supporting him in this was research scientist, Kristina Ulicna, who warned of the ‘black box’ workings of AI. Coming from an expert researcher, Kristina’s concerns about not knowing how the software comes to its conclusions, should prompt the rest of us to perform our own critical analysis of AI outcomes.
However, AI is not without some practical applications. Meri Beckwith, Co-Founder of Lindus Health, gave examples how AI is helping cut down time in drafting research proposals. It seems AI is still most useful in the scribing and LLM capacities rather than in innovation itself.
AI as therapeutic interventions need more work
Despite the public expectation, several panelists were wary of AI as a therapeutic intervention. Citing the example of Pear Therapeutics, Andrew Welchman of Ieso stressed the importance of scientifically validated technologies rather than generic LLM-based bots.
Investors remain positive
With an investor voice on each panel, it was good to hear their hope for future developments. Predictions include precision brain health and AI helping overhaul business model patterns. And with Eupnoos (a digital software that can diagnose respiratory disease from a phone voice recording) winning the Pitch Fest, the future certainly looks bright.
It was refreshing to hear a contrasting view to the usual AI-hype and considering the expertise of the panelists, i’s likely a fair reflection on the use of AI in drug development at the moment. However, I think these are still very early days in the history of AI, and things (hopefully) will only get better.
The Crick Science Entrepreneur Network’s Spark Meetup (AI, ML and Beyond: Charting the Future of Healthcare Technology and Innovation in Life Sciences) was held at the Francis Crick Institute on 14th June 2024.