H. Lundbeck A/S is pleased to announce its agreement with the Danish Centre for AI Innovation (DCAI), the company established to run and operate Gefion, Denmark’s flagship AI supercomputer. Lundbeck is one of the first pharmaceutical companies to leverage Gefion to accelerate drug discovery and development in neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Brain disorders are estimated to affect half the world’s population, significantly impairing quality of life. Despite scientific advancements, there are still high unmet needs within brain health, and many patients have limited options for treatment. By leveraging Gefion’s unparalleled AI computational power, Lundbeck aims to enhance and expedite the discovery of next-generation treatments.
Lundbeck expects that Gefion will contribute to advancing research by providing AI-driven insights into molecule discovery and drug optimization in the development of therapies. By exploring innovative avenues for molecule discovery, Lundbeck aims to identify novel and better medicines for known drug targets as well as unlocking emerging drug targets to deliver new treatment options for people living with brain disorders, including rare and specialist-treated neurological conditions.
Senior Vice President & Head of Research at Lundbeck, Tarek Samad, emphasizes the significance of AI-driven innovation and drug discovery in Lundbeck’s Focused Innovator strategy: “We are excited to be among the pioneers utilizing Gefion’s AI supercomputing power. The advanced computational capabilities of Gefion come with the promise of potentially allowing us to push the boundaries of tackling brain diseases and develop treatments at an unprecedented pace.”
“It’s an exciting milestone for us to work with such a big customer and innovator in the pharmaceutical space like Lundbeck,” says Nadia Carlsten, CEO of the Danish Centre for AI Innovation (DCAI). “We’ve been maturing Gefion since its launch just a few months ago, and to see its computing power now helping Lundbeck’s scientists uncover new treatment pathways more efficiently is very rewarding. This agreement has the potential to accelerate the timeline for bringing impactful neurological therapies to patients.”
Advancing neuroscience with AI-powered research
Senior Vice President of Global IT at Lundbeck, Claus Thomsen, highlights the key role of AI in Lundbeck’s IT strategy: “Working together with DCAI marks an important step towards transforming brain disease research by employing AI. Providing our researchers with access to Gefion and the state-of-the-art software stack opens the opportunity to leverage the fast-evolving development of AI-driven analysis and large-scale simulations. This supports our strategy to harness the power of AI for the benefit of our patients.”
The agreement between DCAI and Lundbeck is a significant milestone in relation to applying Gefion’s potential in pharmaceutical research and development. Other companies are already employing Gefion for projects spanning foundational AI research, human-centric healthcare solutions, and pharmaceutical and biotech innovation, as well as initiatives within other industries.
“As AI reshapes industries, Gefion stands at the forefront of revolutionizing research and innovation. Together with Lundbeck we can demonstrate the game-changing potential of AI supercomputing in tackling some of the world’s most urgent healthcare challenges,” says Nadia Carlsten, CEO of the Danish Centre for AI Innovation (DCAI).
