The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and artificial intelligence company Exscientia are partnering to develop a COVID-19 treatment using AI software, CNBC reported Sept. 9.
Four details:
- The Gates Foundation and Exscientia said Sept. 8 they have signed a four-year deal valued at up to $70 million. Part of the funding will go toward developing a novel antiviral pill that can be used to treat the novel coronavirus and prevent future pandemics, CNBC reported.
- "The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic underscores the urgency to develop safe and effective broad-spectrum drugs to expand our armory against viruses and their variants," Andrew Hopkins, the CEO of Exscientia, told CNBC.
- According to Exscientia, its AI software can reduce the time it takes to discover new drugs by up to 80 percent.
- Remdesivir is the only antiviral drug that is currently approved for COVID-19 treatment, and there is still room for further development, according to the report.