A collaboration agreement between indigenous tech firm Deciphex and pharma giant Novartis signals how Ireland can keep its edge in an AI-centric world.
Collaborations between indigenous SMEs and multinationals in Ireland could hold the keys to a fertile ecosystem developing around artificial intelligence.
That was the key takeaway from a specially-convened AI roundtable held by pharma giant Novartis to mark its collaboration agreement with Deciphex, a Dublin-based digital pathology company.
“Artificial intelligence is a cornerstone of Ireland’s strategy to drive innovation and fuel economic growth”
The collaboration is a global agreement between Novartis and Deciphex that will see both firms harnessing cutting-edge technology to develop a suite of AI tools that will improve the efficiency and accuracy of preclinical studies and accelerate the painstaking work of drug discovery and development.
Ultimately, this collaboration has the potential to positively impact patient pathways.
How to create a fertile AI ecosystem
In Ireland, Novartis and Deciphex marked the agreement at a panel discussion titled ‘How Ireland can be the Centre of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Europe’. Taking place at Novartis Ireland and officiated by Minister of State for Digital Dara Calleary, TD, the event featured contributions from Novartis and Deciphex leadership and representatives from IDA Ireland and patient-led platform, IPPOSI.
“Artificial Intelligence is a cornerstone of Ireland’s strategy to drive innovation and fuel economic growth,” said Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland. “By fostering a robust AI ecosystem, we are not only attracting leading global tech companies but also empowering local enterprises to compete on the world stage. The integration of AI across various sectors is pivotal in enhancing productivity, creating high-value jobs, and ensuring Ireland remains at the forefront of technological advancements.”
The event heard from panelists that government policies and State support, ongoing investment and a strong pipeline of tech talent from universities are key factors in creating a fertile eco-system where the AI sector in Ireland is flourishing.
Against this backdrop, partnerships between indigenous firms and multinationals such as the Novartis and Deciphex collaboration, can deliver positive economic, clinical and societal outcomes in the coming years.
Novartis Ireland currently employs about 900 people in Dublin.
Medtech start-up Deciphex is a rapidly scaling player in the emerging pathology computer aided diagnostics sector that uses digital pathology and AI to accelerate pathology diagnostics, improving productivity and patient outcome.
The roundtable also heard that with AI set to transform sectors such as healthcare over the coming years, the public and patients are being engaged to ascertain the degree in which safeguards and regulation can provide comfort that with AI advances, a human will still be in the loop.
“I’m excited that Novartis has entered into a collaboration agreement with Deciphex to develop Artificial Intelligence-based approaches aimed at improving the efficiency and accuracy of preclinical studies,” Caitriona Walsh, Country President, Novartis Ireland.
“We believe AI has transformative potential to accelerate the painstaking work of drug discovery and development. I look forward to seeing how our collaborative efforts can help us improve and streamline existing processes to deliver impactful medicines to patients more quickly.”
Dr Donal O’Shea, CEO of Deciphex, said the AI partnership with Novartis could accelerate drug development.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Novartis in leveraging AI technology to drive innovation in preclinical research,” said Dr O’Shea.
“This partnership underscores our commitment to advancing healthcare through the development of cutting-edge solutions that address critical challenges in drug development lifecycles. Novartis is committed to innovating AI-based approaches with potential to accelerate drug discovery and development and bring life-changing medicines to patients faster.”
The Irish public are being invited to share their insights for policymakers through important initiatives such as the IPPOSI ‘Citizens’ Jury on AI in Healthcare’.
Minister of State for Digital Dara Calleary TD said fostering a collaborative ecosystem involving multinational FDI investors and indigenous SMEs and start-ups represents a maturation of Ireland’s industrial landscape.
“I am delighted to officiate at today’s panel discussion. Ireland’s AI sector is flourishing, with a partnership approach between State bodies, enterprise and the public key to delivering transformative societal benefits in the coming years. The Novartis-Deciphex collaboration is a great example of how this approach works in practice, with an indigenous medtech collaborating with a global leader in pharma to harness cutting-edge technology and deliver better outcomes for patients.”
Main image at top: Caitriona Walsh, country president of Novartis in Ireland and Dr Donal O’Shea, CEO of Novartis
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