Impact of Robotics on Drug Discovery

Steve Rees, VP Screening Sciences and Sample ManagementPistoia Alliance Annual European Conference; 19 th April 2016

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An early example of drug discovery automation

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Why use automation?

• Allows you to do something you do today at reduced cost, higher quality

• Allows you to do something that you could not do before

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Automation in Drug Discovery

Sample Management Compound Screening

Allow the application of manufacturing standards for research studies

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Drug Discovery AutomationDrivers for change

Only possible through advances in automation

-omics revolution leads to explosion of targets within stratified patient populations and identification of

clinical biomarkers

Structural Biology, pathway mapping

and HPC revolutionize target

knowledge

Cheminformatics capability allows

virtual screening of all chemical space

Miniaturisation and automation of

medicinal chemistry

‘Make-Test’ Chemistry labsLabs2015 2020

• all activities in a single lab

IMED Biotech Unit I Discovery Sciences6

• many manual steps & a long journey from ‘make to test’

Mölndal

A toddler can make an iPhone do things; my teenage daughters can really use an iPhone, I use it as a phone

• Ability to store, structure, annotate and mine huge data sets to derive knowledge• Machine learning• Scientist training and skill sets• Human robot interaction

Future Challenges

7 IMED Biotech Unit I Option to include TA or IMED function

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