Integrating Artificial Intelligence for Drug Discovery in the Context of Revolutionizing Drug Delivery

Life (Basel). 2024 Feb 7;14(2):233. doi: 10.3390/life14020233.

Abstract

Drug development is expensive, time-consuming, and has a high failure rate. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool in drug discovery, offering innovative solutions to complex challenges in the pharmaceutical industry. This manuscript covers the multifaceted role of AI in drug discovery, encompassing AI-assisted drug delivery design, the discovery of new drugs, and the development of novel AI techniques. We explore various AI methodologies, including machine learning and deep learning, and their applications in target identification, virtual screening, and drug design. This paper also discusses the historical development of AI in medicine, emphasizing its profound impact on healthcare. Furthermore, it addresses AI's role in the repositioning of existing drugs and the identification of drug combinations, underscoring its potential in revolutionizing drug delivery systems. The manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of the AI programs and platforms currently used in drug discovery, illustrating the technological advancements and future directions of this field. This study not only presents the current state of AI in drug discovery but also anticipates its future trajectory, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; deep learning; drug discovery; drug repurposing; machine learning; pharmaceutical AI.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, under Romanian National Nucleu Program LAPLAS VII—contract no. 30N/2023. A.I.V. acknowledges the financial support of the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project no. PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-2273 (11/2020, RENERI), within PNCDI III. I.N. acknowledges the support of a grant of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS—UEFISCDI, project no. PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2021-3178 within PNCDI III.