BigHat Biosciences CEO Describes Limits of AI in Antibody Drug Design

Peyton Greenside, CEO of BigHat Biosciences, said her company uses machine-learning to design antibody therapies but cautioned against demonstrations that emphasize speed of initial design. “If you want me to design you a protein right now in six hours, I’m happy to do it,” Greenside said.

She added that the same task can be completed in 20 minutes. Greenside stated that actual drug development still requires extensive downstream laboratory and clinical testing that consumes significant time and financial resources. “That’s where the hard work is, is making the actual drug,” she said.

Biosciences was founded in 2019 and maintains an office practice of hanging a hat on the wall for each completed project. The company has finished one collaboration with Johnson & Johnson and maintains partnerships with Merck, Amgen, Abbvie, and Lilly.

Greenside’s comments address the distinction between rapid computational design steps and the longer, more costly phases required to advance a candidate into approved medicines.