In Law360, Attorneys Examine Patentability Risks Posed by AI in Drug Discovery

In The News
October 22, 2024

In a Law360 article, IP transactions partner and practice co-chair Melissa Rones, IP transactions counsel Georgina Jones Suzuki and IP transactions associate Manish Namireddy examined patentability risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) in drug discovery.

The authors explain that AI has the potential to improve drug discovery and design. However, due to the human inventorship requirement, companies may not be able to patent drugs created using AI systems.

They note that when implementing AI platforms, companies should take steps to ensure humans significantly contribute to the design of such drugs. In particular, scientists should experiment with and modify drugs to improve their performance. Additionally, rather than rely on general AI systems, companies should develop and train specialized AI platforms in connection with drug discovery.