TechBio Firm Owkin and AWS Team on GenAI and Drug Discovery

TechBio firm Owkin selected Amazon Web Services as its primary cloud provider.

The firm will use AWS’ storage options, data security measures and computing capabilities to develop generative artificial intelligence applications and accelerate drug discovery, clinical trials and AI diagnostics, the companies said in a Friday (Feb. 9) press release.

Integrating Owkin’s research and development with AWS’ cloud infrastructure and services will help the TechBio firm unlock insights from patient data in hospitals and research centers, while preserving privacy and security, Owkin Co-founder and CEO Thomas Clozel said in the release.

“Beyond our cutting-edge technologies, our strongest asset is in the power of collective intelligence through collaboration,” Clozel said. “Teaming up with AWS enables us to harness the power, security and flexibility of the cloud, unlocking new possibilities for our research initiatives.”

Owkin will use Amazon SageMaker to build, train and deploy machine learning models, process data at scale, and deploy its AI solutions to users, according to the release.

The company will also use AWS’ infrastructure to build and deploy its applications, as well as experiment with AWS chips built for the cloud, the release said.

Owkin will have full control over its data, supported by data encryption, as well as specialized hardware and software that prevents outside access. It will also have compliance controls that help partners meet regulatory requirements across the world, per the release.

“The cloud and the advent of computational biochemistry significantly accelerated the pace of innovation in healthcare and life sciences, and applying generative AI enables another huge leap forward,” Dan Sheeran, general manager of healthcare and life sciences at AWS, said in the release.

PYMNTS Intelligence found that the emergence of generative AI is set to reshape critical aspects of healthcare, from drug discovery and diagnostics to the delivery of care.

Startups specializing in generative AI will help transform the continuum in this sector, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence study “Generative AI Can Elevate Health and Revolutionize Healthcare.”

In another move in the healthcare field, AWS said in July that it was launching a tool that uses speech recognition and generative AI to generate clinical documentation. AWS HealthScribe saves clinicians time by summarizing patient visits.

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