New Delhi, India, October 1, 2025- In a groundbreaking move, leading pharmaceutical companies Bristol Myers Squibb and Takeda Pharmaceuticals have joined forces with other industry giants to use artificial intelligence (AI) in the search for new medicines. The collaboration aims to speed up drug discovery and improve treatment options for patients worldwide.
The two companies, along with Astex Pharmaceuticals, are contributing proprietary scientific data to help train a powerful AI model called OpenFold3. This model is designed to predict how proteins interact with small molecules an essential step in developing new drugs. The initiative is part of a larger consortium that includes other major players like AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson, and is being coordinated by Apheris, a life sciences company based in Germany.
What makes this project especially innovative is the way data is being shared. Instead of transferring sensitive information between companies, the consortium is using a federated data sharing model. This approach allows each company to keep its data securely in place while still contributing to the AI training process. Apheris’ computing platform enables this collaboration by connecting diverse datasets without compromising privacy or security.
The shared data includes thousands of experimentally determined protein–small molecule structures. These structures are crucial for understanding how drugs interact with the human body. By pooling this information, the companies hope to improve the accuracy of OpenFold3 and make it a more effective tool for identifying promising drug candidates.
“This collaboration allows us to build predictive models that no single company could develop on its own,” said Payal Sheth, Vice President of Discovery Biotherapeutics at Bristol Myers Squibb. “It’s a powerful example of how working together can lead to faster innovation and better outcomes for patients.”
Hans Bitter, Head of Computational Sciences at Takeda, emphasized the importance of AI in the company’s long-term strategy. “This project fits perfectly with our goal of embedding AI into every part of our work. It also shows how pharma companies can unite to achieve more than we ever could individually.”
OpenFold3 is the flagship project of the AI Structural Biology Network, a research initiative led by industry experts in collaboration with the AlQuraishi Lab at Columbia University. The network is focused on using AI to solve complex biological problems, and OpenFold3 is one of its most ambitious efforts to date.
The use of AI in drug development is becoming increasingly common, as companies look for ways to reduce costs and speed up the process of bringing new treatments to market. Traditional drug discovery methods can take years and cost billions of dollars. AI models like OpenFold3 can analyze vast amounts of biological data quickly, helping researchers identify potential drug candidates in a fraction of the time.
This partnership also reflects a broader shift in the pharmaceutical industry toward open collaboration. Rather than working in isolation, companies are now more willing to share data and resources to tackle major challenges—especially when it comes to using advanced technologies like AI.
The success of OpenFold3 could have far-reaching effects. If the model proves effective, it could lead to faster breakthroughs in medicine, more personalized treatments, and a more efficient drug development process overall. It may also pave the way for future collaborations that use AI to solve other pressing healthcare problems.
For now, Bristol Myers, Takeda, and their partners are setting a strong example of how innovation and teamwork can drive progress. As AI continues to evolve, projects like OpenFold3 could become the new standard in pharmaceutical research.
