‘Transforming decentralized clinical trials via Gen AI’

On the day four of Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA)-organised workshop on “Artificial Intelligence for Pharma and Biotech,” an expert session shed light on the fact that less than 20 per cent of patients are informed about clinical trials, primarily due to the burdensome nature of the healthcare system. Dr Danielle Ralic, CEO and CTO, Ancora.ai, in an expert session in the workshop, spoke on the “Application of Gen AI in Decentralized Clinical Trials.”

The workshop is being held in partnership with Science Gurus, University of Hyderabad and World Trade Center Shamshabad. The ongoing event will come to an end on December 16, 2023.

Dr Ralic’s session focused on the transformative influence of Gen AI in the realm of Decentralized Clinical Trials. She said that locating and participating in trials pose significant challenges for patients, particularly in areas like oncology. Dr Danielle emphasised that Gen AI empowers healthcare professionals to efficiently search through trials by asking targeted questions. It contributes to the creation of patient-friendly versions of trials, making information more accessible.

The next speaker Dr. Sirisha Velampalli, Solution Lead, Brane Enterprises delved into the transformative realm of Natural Language Processing and Large Language Models in Clinical Text Mining, shedding light on their potential to revolutionise disease understanding and treatment strategies. Dr Velampalli showcased how technologies can automate tasks mitigating the challenges posed by manual analysis. She underlined the critical aspect of de-identification in keeping medical data safe and secure, assuring the audience of the techniques available for this purpose.

The next session was led by speaker Dr Shyam Perugu, Assistant Professor, NIT Warangal who delivered a talk on, “A Breast Cancer-Specific Combinational QSAR Model Development Using Machine Learning and Deep Learning Approaches.” Dr Perugu guided the audiences through the intricate process of drug development, with a focus on the pivotal role played by AI and Machine Learning.

The day unfolded with a presentation by Dr Jayaseelan Murugaiyan, Head, SRM University, on “MALDI-Based Rapid Species Identification of Microorganisms and Antimicrobial Resistance Detection.” He emphasised on Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization’s (MALDI) multifaceted advantages that positions it as a game-changer in microbiology and antimicrobial research.

Dr Ashar Ahmed, Associate Director, Grunenthal GmbH spoke on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in the design and management of clinical trials.