With the help of technology, the pharmaceutical industry is gaining new insights that are fueling the development of next generation of drugs while also speeding up clinical trials and improving diagnostics. For example, Mainz Biomed (NASDAQ:MYNZ) has developled ColoAlert, an affordable test for early detection of Colorectal cancer. As a company specializing in molecular genetic diagnostic solutions for life-threatening conditions, Mainz Biomed also partnered with Microba Life Sciences, a company known for sourcing and analyzing microbiome generated species and datasets, to discover disease specific microbiome biomarkers to improve its development of PancAlert. But clinical trials are costly and time-consuming with human studies being the most complex part of the development process as besides the needed time and funds, they require dealing with a large set of data so accelerating this part could be a massive game changer and this is where AI comes into play. ​​​​​​

Major drugmakers are using this developing technology to find patients for clinical trials quickly as well as to reduce the number of people needed for the trial, both accelerating the development of drugs and treatments as well as lowering the costs of the process. Amgen Inc (NASDAQ:AMGN), Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (OTC:BAYRY) and Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) are just a few example of drug makers who are using AI to search for trial patients which involves scanning public health records, prescription data, medical insurance claims and their internal data. In some cases, AI is able to halve the time needed for this process as Blythe Adamson, senior principal scientist at Roche Holding (OTC:RHHBY) subsidiary Flatiron Health explained, AI enables scientists to examine real-world patient data much faster and at scale as what used to take months can now be done in days.

GlobalData’s prediction is that in the next decade, more IVD manufacturers will be integrating AI into their devices to improve diagnostic and treatment predictions as well as oncologists’ workflow. As a result, more cancer patients will receive life-saving treatments in earlier stages with AI also showing which treatments are the most effective. Undoubtedly, early cancer detection such as one that Mainz Biomed is pioneering have the potential to be life-changing for many.

The potential of AI to accelerate the ingestion and interpretation of data is massive. But this technology is only as good as the data it learns from. This is why scientific expertise is of essence and the approach such as the one of Mainz Biomed has can ease this risk by putting the scientific know-how in the center of things. Mainz Biomed makes strategic partnerships, like the most recent one with Ärztliches Labor Dr. Buhlman, to enhance its pioneering products with the right know-how first and its latest clinical trial data was more successful than expected, showing high sensitivity to detect colorectal cancer and advanced adenoma. AI should be used to merely increase the efficiency of scientific research without neglecting the importance of a sound judgement as inaccurate or partial data will result in AI providing the wrong answer and disseminating false information. If used with caution and precision that are also essential in healthcare, AI will undoubtedly revolutionize diagnostics, saving precious time and costs.