The MIT School of Engineering has announced a new partnership with Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Limited focused to use AI technology to ramp up the development of pharmaceutical drugs.
Takeda, one Asia’s largest pharmaceutical companies, is funding the project for at least three years, with a potential two year-extension on the horizon.
The MIT-Takeda Program benefits both parties; MIT gains access to Takeda’s “pharmaceutical infrastructure and expertise,” according to a prepared statement, and Takeda will “learn from and engage with some of MIT’s sharpest and most curious minds.” The program was designed to support faculty, students and researchers from MIT who are focused on using AI to improve patient care.
Funding will go toward 11 annual fellowships for graduate students and assisting with variety of AI-related research projects. Takeda employees will also be able to take key educational programs intended to “bolster individual and organizational learning in integrating AI and machine learning technologies into practical and applied solutions.”
“We are thrilled to create this collaboration with Takeda,” Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of MIT’s School of Engineering, said in the statement. “The MIT-Takeda Program will build a community dedicated to the next generation of AI and system-level breakthroughs that aim to advance healthcare around the globe.”
“We share with MIT a vision where next-generation intelligent technologies can be better developed and applied across the entire health care ecosystem,” Anne Heatherington, senior vice president and head of Takeda’s data sciences institute, said in the same statement. “Together, we are creating an incredible opportunity to support research, enhance the drug development process, and build a better future for patients.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.