The construction effords of their new research site on Santiago are now focused on acclimating the interiors, predicting they will open them in summer

Rather than a threat to the human race, Artificial Intelligence can be a great aid if it is used correctly. Within the field of research, for example, it allows for the liberation of people from parts of their work, this being the dangerous, unhealthy or outright monotonous and boring parts, the end goal being to grant them more time to dedicate themselves to the creative part, the one that generates value.

“Machines can work 24 hours a day without growing tired or stressing out”, explains Santi Domínguez, CEO of the company from Compostela, Mestrelab, one of Bioga‘s associates, who specialize in software for the pharma industry and the treatment of lab equipment produced data. With this, increasing productivity and accelerating research, development and manufacturing processes, “the end goal is for the pharma and biotech treatments to reach the market sooner, which translates into more cured patients and better results for them”, as indicated by a corporate representative who’s clients work on cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative disease treatments, aswell as new materials.

Artificial intelligence, together with the development of deep learning neural nets (a form of automated learning, where a machine attempts to imitate the human brain utilizing artificial neural nets) aswell as everything that is related to the management of huge volumes of data, is one of the areas of most accumulated interest within the technologies this firm will be developing in the new research center, which is expected to open next summer in the Avenida de Barcelona of Santiago, with all the signal processing and spectroscopic data information extraction section.

“What we are trying to do is increasing the productivity of research, the development and manufacturing of all sorts of chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech products”, says Domínguez, when it comes to the applications this work will have on the market. “We’re going to develop software tools that can be applied to the productivity increase of these spaces exploring Artificial Intelligence, the analysis capabilities of huge volumes of data”, he specifies. Meaning, eliminating the most monotonous part of the job of a scientist so that they may focus on the creative process “and for our tools to do the rest”.

Automated laboratories

In the same vein, Domínguez confirms that they are in talks with important centers such as the Politécnica of Lausana and the ETH of Zurich, for the development of automated laboratories, meaning “completely robotic and where all of the researcher’s function is performed automatically. The human being initially designs it, but all of the experimentation, reactions and compound manufacturing process is automated”.

This advancement not only increases productivity, it also puts distance between the human being and the most dangerous part of their job, that which is in close contact with chemical compounds that can be toxic or flammable. At the same time, it has an enviromental effect, as taking advantage of AI and data analysis, fewer and more focused experiments will be conducted. “As a consecuence, we will be generating a lot less waste”, he confirms.

Tasks, at a good rythm

Back to the new research center Mestrelab is preapring in Santiago, the company’s CEO confirms the construction effords go according to plan. “We’re planning on opening it between July and September 2024. For now, we’re mostly working on the interior due to climate. If it doesn’t stop raning, we cannot work on the covers nor can we paint outside”.

Simultaneously, hiring also advances both in time and form, currently being around a dozen. “We’re going a bit faster than we planned. The idea is still 30 contracts until the end of 2024“, he points out. “The center will have capacity for 200 people and we intend to fill it up, but that will take time.” About the profiles needed, they point towards STEM professionals (those with scientific, tech, engineering and mathematics degrees) specially mathematitians, software engineers, AI specialists, chemists, biochemists and biologists.

Aside from Mestrelab, during the first stage of this center’s lifetime, shared laboratories will be implemented in the rooms below for startups, emerging companies focused on innovation and technology in order to create a scalable and disruptive business model. “We’ve chosen the teams, for analytical technologies, chemistry and biochemistry, and now we will start with the execution, meaning we will start buying them and installing them once that area of the building is ready, which will probably be the first”. Initially, he quantifies, it is predicted that area will house 6 to 8 startups.

Between the University and the biopolo

“We see ourselves as an intermediate step between the spinoff phase of the University and the A Sionlla biotech pole, which requires companies to have more of an identity”, he comments. “We see ourselves as that space in which startups can incubate for anywhere between 6 months and 2 years, depending on their speed, which will allow them to make the leap into the biopolo and even their own installations”.

About setting this service in motion, he trusts that it will have “plenty of demand”. “We proposed this because, initially, we do not need all of the building. As we expand and we reach those 250 to 300 people, we will need all of it, but that is not an immediate need, and it makes sense to offer this space to the ecosystem for a couple years”, he finalizes. The new research center carries an investment climbing over the 9,2 million euros and counts with the support of the Xunta.

Lastly, and after their pass trough the last edition of Talentia, Domínguez insists that “a lot more professional profiles related with AI, software development and life sciences are needed. It is important for us to make these things attractive, because we’re gonna have a lot of demand in this sector and not enough offer”, he finalizes.

Original article: Mestrelab ayuda a desarrollar medicamentos más eficientes gracias a la Inteligencia Artificial – Roi Rodríguez, El Correo Gallego (13/11/2023)

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