AI to Find Needle in Haystack

Every year, thousands of molecules are being created, synthesized and tested as drug candidates for a vast number of ailments. MagicMed Industries brings this pharmaceutical development approach to the field of psychedelics to create new therapeutic alternatives for patients with brain and mental health indications. However, discovering the right molecules is a massive undertaking. It is essentially trying to find a needle in a haystack. MagicMed Industries has partnered with two leaders in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space to create a tool known as PsiAI™ that can reduce the burden of this massive endeavour at lightning speed.

MagicMed’s newly formed partnerships with Cognistx and April 19, are intended to advance psychedelic drug discovery and development through machine learning. Given the potential size of MagicMed’s derivative library, the Psybrary™,  it would be nearly impossible to synthesize and screen all of molecules in a timely fashion. Partnering with Cognistx and April 19 will enable MagicMed to develop PsyAI™ as an in-silico method to screen and discover drug candidates with the greatest potential to treat disease, ultimately enabling the company to expedite valuable molecules to market .

This strategic alliance was formed due to the synergistic culture amongst the partners as well as a shared goal to streamline psychedelic drug discovery and development. Cognistx and April 19 each provide world class expertise and skill sets in developing and deploying machine learning tools successfully within industry as described below.

April 19 is a drug-discovery company driven by AI, which is entirely focused on developing and screening novel compounds for psychedelic medicine. They describe the newfound interest in this field as the “psychedelic renaissance” and believe that it promises to provide required therapies that combat mental illnesses.

April 19 is led by innovators in the artificial intelligence space. Co-founders Dr. Suran Goonatilake and Dr. Richard Dallaway have contributed to the development of AI methods for over 30 years, lending their efforts to sectors such as finance, retail, scientific discovery, and drug discovery. Their focus on deep learning, evolutionary systems, and hybrid systems in large data sets makes them an invaluable partner on this project.

In addition to their experience, these leaders bring added value through their roles outside of April 19. Dr. Goonatilake is a visiting professor at the University College London Centre for Artificial Intelligence, while Dr. Dallaway holds a position as a visiting fellow at the University of Sussex. Both individuals have published many scientific papers, and have a strong entrepreneurial track record in AI-first companies.

The second partner in this project, Cognistx, brings in seasoned AI professionals with connections to Carnegie Mellon University – one of the most prominent Artificial Intelligence and Data Science programs in the world. Additionally, they leverage several years of experience applying AI to a diverse set of industry modalities, including supply chain, cybersecurity, and healthcare. As the field of AI continues to grow, Cognistx has committed to having its finger on the pulse. They remain aware of the state-of-the-art applications in AI, while continuing to evolve in parallel with the industry. With a high-level understanding and experience in applying AI to several industries, Cognistx will undoubtedly be a key partner for MagicMed.

Cognistx is led by co-founders Dr. Eric Nyberg and Sanjay Chopra. Dr. Nyberg serves as the Chief Data Scientist at Cognistx and is a world-renowned AI expert. He is a Professor and Director of the Master of Computational Data Science Program at Carnegie Mellon. Furthermore, Dr. Nyberg was previously a member of the original IBM Watson technology team, where he developed a scalable architecture for multi-strategy question-answering systems. Sanjay Chopra leads Cognistx as the CEO, and has over 28 years of experience in AI, e-commerce, and software development. Chopra also has many years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience. Notably, Chopra licensed Intellions IP to Google, and has been a recipient of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Regards. These highly knowledgeable thought leaders bring a unique and valuable perspective to the PsyAI™ project.

Both Cognistx and April 19 bring vast experience and expertise to the table that will be vital for the success of PsyAI™, and for MagicMed’s longer-term goal of creating and developing novel psychedelic drug candidates for the treatment of a number of disease indications. The connections both partners bring to academic institutions with world-renowned artificial intelligence programs will be essential, as these partners create the PsiAI™ tool. When coupled with MagicMed’s Psybrary™ and expertise within drug research, derivative development, and candidate synthesis this opportunity will have great value for the industry as a whole and for individuals who suffer from mental health illnesses.

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About Makenzie Branch