Automating process development for drug discovery

Emma Brass, PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry is using the power of AI and robotics to develop autonomous processes that can accelerate and optimise the drug discovery pipeline. Her research is shaping a proof-of-concept system to help the pharmaceutical industry develop drugs in a more efficient manner.

Many stages of the drug development pipeline still require a lot of manual lab work from chemists. This is particularly true of the ‘process development’ stage of the pipeline, where synthesis protocols are optimised to produce drugs sustainably and cost-effectively, while ensuring regulatory compliance.

Automating this work would have three major benefits. Firstly, removing chemists from the lab would improve safety, by reducing human exposure to hazardous chemicals. Secondly, robots can perform reactions in a highly consistent manner, thus eliminating reproducibility issues. Lastly, automation can significantly speed up the drug discovery process by handling repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This also allows researchers to focus on more complex and creative aspects of their work.

By accelerating this stage of the drug discovery process, automation can help bring new drugs to market more quickly, benefiting patients who need them.

Solution

The proof-of-concept system utilises a mobile robot. This is a robot arm attached to a mobile base that is able to accurately navigate the lab space. The mobile robot can easily transfer samples between different pieces of equipment. The use of the mobile robot, rather than other more rigid forms of automation, ensures that the laboratory is still usable by human researchers.

This creates an environment in which robots and human can work alongside each other. Also, the mobile robot can be easily integrated with pre-existing, standard-issue laboratory equipment which removes the need to build expensive bespoke automation systems from scratch.

Future impact

Integrating AI and robotics into laboratory chemistry is poised to revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry. Both these novel technologies are advancing at a rapid pace, making it increasingly simple to use them to automate processes. Looking ahead, the coming years are likely to see a transformation in how pharmaceutical companies operate.

Increased automation will break down traditional research barriers and unlock new possibilities for faster, more efficient, and cost-effective drug development. Improved global health outcomes will hopefully follow.

Introducing the interactive robot artist

Emma has applied the same AI and robotics principles to develop a novel painting system that uses human-robot interaction (HRI) principles for artmaking. Her platform harnesses two modes of interaction within one robotic system. This work is focused on exploring intuitive, non-programmatic methods for robot interaction, which can be utilised by a non-technical audience.

The robot is fitted with a camera, animatronic eyes and a paintbrush holder. In the first mode, the user can ‘take turns’ with the robot to create an abstract painting. The user makes an initial mark on a piece of paper, and the robot then photographs this input before image processing algorithms decide on a response mark for the robot to execute. The user and the robot go back and forth until the collaborative painting is complete. In the second mode of interaction, the robot photographs the user’s face and then paints an outline portrait.

See the robot artist in action

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Discover more of Emma’s artwork with the interactive robot artist via her website or follow her on Instagram.

You can also connect with Emma’s work at the upcoming British Science Festival and the River of Light Liverpool.