Transforming Target and Drug Discovery with Visual Biology derived AI Disease Models

Neural networks trained to recognize disease signatures from diseased cells have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of disease biology and unlock a new era in AI-powered target and drug discovery. However, this breakthrough requires disease biology data—data that either does not exist or is extremely limited in public datasets. This session introduces Lightning.AI, Anima’s transformational TechBio platform for target and drug discovery.

Lightning.AI is built on a Visual Biology approach. Unlike conventional AI that relies on existing knowledge, for each disease, Lightning.AI uses PathwayLight™ to run for each disease millions of visualizations in high throughput, imaging hundreds of cellular pathways in both healthy and diseased cells. This process generates entirely new, large-scale data, coming directly from the biology of the disease—data no one else has. With this data, Lightning.AI trains AI models of the disease, using neural networks to visually learn the difference between healthy and diseased cells, identifying dysregulated pathways—the disease signature. By analyzing these pathways through its Visual Biology Knowledge Graph, Lightning.AI uncovers novel targets, backed by experimental validation. For these targets, Lightning.AI discovers small molecule drugs that reverse disease phenotypes by modulating mRNA biology.

Lightning builds and evolves a proprietary AI model of a disease. New data is continuously generated through large scale visual experimental biology, in multiple cell types and disease variants. By partnering with Anima, Pharma companies develop an exclusive franchise of competitive advantage around the disease, exploiting the model for targets and drugs. Anima’s unique Visual Biology approach is validated through strategic partnerships with Lilly, Takeda and Abbvie, powering 20+ drug discovery programs.