Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not new… but this year its impact, and the potential for change, was felt across the pharma industry in areas such as drug discovery, tech collaboration, regulation and patentability. When considering the reasons for this, the answer is not that AI is new. ‘AI’ is an umbrella term covering a spectrum
Imogen Ireland
2018 – The year the pharma industry felt AI’s impact and potential
The skilled machines disrupting drug design
Capable of identifying novel compounds for therapeutic use, AI is saving time and costs in a process that can take around 10 to 15 years and billions of pounds to complete. For the pharmaceutical industry, which has traditionally relied on patents to protect innovation and fund R&D, this should be good news, but is an
EU Patent Office publishes preview of guidelines on patenting AI applications
The preview-version of the EPO’s Guidelines for Examination is out now (link here), and, for the first time ever, there is specific guidance on patenting AI applications – Are there any surprises in the Guidelines? Earlier this year the European Patent Office (“EPO”) held its first ever conference on patenting artificial intelligence (“AI”). Following intensive