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Updated: Jan 12, 2026

Nano-Differential Scanning Fluorimetry for Screening in Fragment-based Lead Discovery
Published on: May 16, 2021
Foundation models in drug discovery: Phenomenal growth today, transformative potential tomorrow?
Julien Delile1, Srayanta Mukherjee2, Judith Mueller3
1Boston Consulting Group, BCG X AI Science Institute, 80 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4DF, UK.
Abstract:
During the past decade, AI has evolved rapidly. Within the field, there has been particular innovation in the area of foundation models -- general-purpose AI algorithms that can be adapted to a broad range of tasks. Recently, researchers have started exploring how these foundation models can be applied to pharmaceutical R&D. In this review, we survey the landscape of foundation models in drug discovery research. We show that, starting in 2022, the number of foundation models has been growing extremely rapidly, with >200 such models published to date. We demonstrate that these cover a broad range of applications, including target discovery, molecular property optimization, preclinical applications and others. We also discuss what foundation-model-powered drug discovery could look like in the future.
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