Biopharma industry leaders are calling for greater data collaboration to fully leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, particularly in advancing cell therapy development. The challenge of proprietary data silos remains a significant barrier despite the potential to accelerate treatments that improve patient outcomes.
Edwin Stone, CEO of Cellular Origins, emphasized this dilemma in a recent interview with The PharmTech Group about bio/pharmaceutical trends continuing from 2024 into 2025. "There's a huge amount of proprietary data," Stone noted. "I think this is something actually, as an industry, we're really going to have to think about a lot harder than we had previously."
Balancing Competition and Collaboration
The tension between competitive interests and collaborative potential presents a critical inflection point for the industry. Stone highlighted the fundamental purpose of the sector: "We're in an industry where, by solving these problems, we help make people better."
This mission-driven perspective raises important questions about industry practices. "How do we collaborate better? How do we understand and separate out the competitive landscape from our ability to make enormous strides for us?" Stone asked.
The consequences of maintaining the status quo could be significant. "I think it will be a massive shame for the industry if we all operate in our silos and we miss out on the benefit that I think a lot of those data processing technologies could have," Stone warned.
AI's Current Impact on Drug Discovery
While data sharing challenges persist, artificial intelligence and machine learning are already transforming certain aspects of pharmaceutical development. Stone observed that these technologies are "having a huge impact on drug discovery," with their most notable integration occurring "in the virtual world, in the software world, that's unsurprisingly, where they found their home."
The implementation of AI in computational models and virtual screening has allowed companies to accelerate the early stages of drug development, potentially reducing time and resources required to identify promising therapeutic candidates.
Cell Therapy Advancement
As CEO of Cellular Origins, Stone's insights carry particular relevance for the cell therapy sector, which continues to evolve rapidly. Cell therapies represent one of the most promising frontiers in medicine, with potential applications across oncology, autoimmune disorders, and regenerative medicine.
The complex manufacturing processes and biological variability inherent to cell therapies make them particularly well-suited to benefit from AI-driven process optimization and quality control. However, these same characteristics also generate highly sensitive proprietary data that companies are reluctant to share.
Looking Toward Industry Transformation
The biopharma industry stands at a crossroads where decisions about data sharing and collaborative frameworks could significantly influence the pace of innovation. Industry consortia, pre-competitive collaborations, and secure data-sharing platforms may offer potential solutions to balance intellectual property concerns with the broader benefits of collaborative innovation.
As 2025 progresses, how the industry navigates these challenges will likely determine whether AI and machine learning can fulfill their transformative potential in accelerating cell therapy development and other advanced therapeutic modalities.
