Designing Medicines with AI: Promise, Pitfalls, and Pathways to Impact

Artificial intelligence is transforming how new medicines are discovered and developed, reshaping everything from target identification to molecule design and clinical translation. This event brings together leading researchers from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) and the Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative (QEDDI) to explore how AI is being applied in real-world drug discovery and where its greatest impact lies.

The session will open with a keynote presentation by Professor David Ascher (Faculty of Science) outlining the latest global advances in AI-enabled discovery, including breakthroughs in protein structure modelling, pharmacokinetic prediction, and data-driven approaches to identifying new therapeutic targets. This will be followed by a panel discussion featuring experts in computational biology, medicinal chemistry, and translational science, offering insights into how AI is integrated into active research pipelines and the challenges of translating predictions into therapies.

Focusing on practical application rather than hype, the event will highlight the importance of high-quality data, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strong translational pathways. It offers a unique opportunity to connect perspectives across academia, industry, and government, and to consider how Queensland can build capability and leadership in AI-enabled therapeutics.

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