AI in Drug Discovery and Development

This 1-hour panel discussion will explore how artificial intelligence is transforming every stage of the drug discovery and development pipeline, from target identification and validation to molecular design, lead optimization, and preclinical development. The conversation will highlight recent advances in generative AI, machine learning, large language models, computational chemistry, and multimodal data integration, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with deploying AI in real-world pharmaceutical and biotechnology settings. We are inviting perspectives from industry leaders, innovators, and academic researchers on how AI is accelerating scientific discovery, improving productivity, reducing development timelines, and enabling new therapeutic modalities. The discussion will also address key topics such as data quality, model interpretability, regulatory considerations, workforce transformation, and the future integration of human expertise with AI-driven systems. While we have identified several potential themes, the specific topics will be tailored to the interests and expertise of the panelists. We welcome additional ideas and suggestions to help shape a dynamic and engaging conversation for our audience.

Panel Moderator:
Jianing Li, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue

Panel Speakers:
Pushkar Ghanekar, Senior Director – Lead, Frontier AI, Eli Lilly
Jacob Remington, Principal Scientist, Computational Chemistry, Evotec
Yuxing Peng, Senior Research Engineer, NVIDIA
Sathesh Bhat, Vice President of Life Science Software, Schrödinger