A new project has been launched to make the UK a leader AI-drug discovery.

The UK’s ‘OpenBind’ consortium will use breakthrough experimental technology to generate the world’s largest collection of data on how drugs interact with proteins.

The work will support the training of new AI models that can identify promising new drugs to combat disease.

It is hoped the work will cut development costs by up to £100 billion and spark innovation.

The consortium will be based at the UK’s national synchrotron facility at the Harwell Science Campus in Oxfordshire and will work to close critical data gaps, driving breakthroughs in healthcare which will unlock new avenues for drugs that can treat and beat diseases. Scientists will also look at the transformative potential of engineering biology to face down a range of other issues, such as designing new enzymes to tackle plastic waste.

The consortium is supported by up to £8 million of investment from DSIT’s newly established Sovereign AI Unit and will be lead by Professor Charlotte Deane at the University of Oxford, Professor Frank von Delft at Diamond Light Source and the University of Oxford, and David Baker, Chemistry Nobel Prize winner and head of the Institute for Protein Design at Washington University. 

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Peter Kyle said: "London Tech Week is where we lay down a marker – not just as a government with technology at the heart of our agenda, but as a country that will harness its opportunities for the global good.

"OpenBind is a prime example of how we’re doing exactly that. Through home-grown AI expertise, we will be the driving force that doesn’t just treat, but beats disease - benefitting every person in the world.

"This week, we’ll have plenty more to say on how we’re using technology to drive growth, improve public services, and transform communities all over the country – delivering a Plan for Change grounded in action, not words."