Novo Nordisk and Microsoft Collaborate to Accelerate Drug Discovery and Development

Novo Nordisk announced on Sept. 12, 2022 that it has entered a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to accelerate drug discovery and development. The collaboration will combine Microsoft’s computational services, cloud, and artificial intelligence (AI) with Novo Nordisk’s drug discovery, development, and data science capabilities.

According to a company press release, AI models arising from the collaboration will be applied to a range of use cases, two of which are currently in execution. One of the uses will be automated summarization and analysis of information from sources such as literature, patents, scientific reports, and discussion forums. The AI will be used to gain novel scientific insight. The second use aims to develop models that predict a person’s risk of developing atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular disease caused by fat build-up, cholesterol, and other substances on the artery walls. The AI will also be used to establish biomarkers of the disease.

“We are very excited about this new partnership that allows us to work closely together with key experts from Microsoft as we look to expand our digital science and AI capabilities,” said Lars Fogh Iversen, senior vice-president, digital science & innovation at Novo Nordisk, in the release. “Together, we are on a path to enable faster and scaled use of AI in drug discovery, ultimately leading to more breakthrough innovations and efficiency gain to better serve the needs of patients.”