Data Intelligence for Opportunity Screening and Prioritization in Drug Discovery

Case Study – Challenge

Our biotech client needed an innovative, effective way to identify which binding sites and therapeutic indications they should target for the development of new therapeutic agents for oncological applications.  

However, the traditional approach to periodically screening and prioritization requires significant effort and resources to: 

  • Develop predictive models for target prioritization that aligns with the global strategy of the company and considers the potential clinical and commercial value 
  • Continually monitor the latest advancements in scientific production to systematically review new opportunities over the time 

Scouting and evaluating targets in this way demands considerable resources and requires recurrent efforts for each review. Additionally, failing in even one of these activities undermines the capacity of the R&D team to timely identify suitable opportunities and reduce the time to market to leverage those opportunities. 

Our Solution

Our data analytics and technology experts have developed a customizable, actionable digital solution that support strategic decision-making. Utilizing our business strategists, scientists, and software developers, this tailored solution outlines the best fit for the company’s strategic priorities and capabilities.  

To deliver comprehensive analytics that our client could immediately action on, we followed a multi-step process: 

Step 1: Integrated biological evidence and drug data sources  

  • Identified over 5,000 biological targets and more than 1,000 clinical indications in the company’s top therapeutic areas 
  • Integrated drug and scientific evidence on biological target and indication from seven databases 
  • Cross-referenced information to create a knowledge base of more than 130,000 biological target-indication associations and 12,000 drugs 

Step 2: Developed a prioritization model based on scientific and market evaluations 

  • Defined parameters that condensed the information into a few relevant metrics 
  • Developed scoring criteria and ranking rules for biological target-indication associations  
  • Defined default algorithm weights according to scientific relevance and underlying business potential of each criterium 

Step 3: Provided expert support and indication prioritization   

  • Developed an intuitive, web-based tool that allowed users to explore data, tune model weights, and achieve different prioritization outcomes depending on assumptions 
  • Delivered training sessions to help identify the final prioritized list of associations 
  • Leveraged AI-assisted data mining to prioritize associations through the analysis of clinical, commercial, and health economics endpoints  

Outcome 

The complete, customized solution allows our client to explore the full spectrum of R&D opportunities through the integration of multiple public and private data sources and an actionable prioritization algorithm. With our deep industry knowledge and therapeutic expertise, we can leverage the power of data to develop tailored digital solutions that reduce the burden of data mining and early opportunity assessment. The client can also rely on these additional benefits of our analytics: 

  • Reduction of human-error related risks in data analysis   
  • Reduction of time and financial effort required by manual data gathering and analysis 
  • Enhanced interdepartmental collaboration  
  • Optimized opportunity review process that utilizes continually updated data 

Ready to fuel your decision-making by unlocking the power of data?

Related news

Publications September 19, 2023
Opportunities and Challenges in the Therapeutic and CDMO Markets
Our Transaction Advisory experts have analyzed the CDMO industry trends, M&A activities, and projected growth in this CHEManager article.
CDMO Pharma
News August 31, 2023
Alira Health Named One of the World’s Best Management Consulting Firms by Forbes
Alira Health is proud to announce it has been named by Forbes as one of the World’s Best Management Consulting Firms for 2023.
Life Sciences MedTech Pharma
Publications August 1, 2023
The EU Pharmaceutical Package: Impact on Orphan Medicinal Products
This article reviews the proposed changes in the EU Pharma Package for data protection related to orphan medicinal products (OMPs).
EU Pharma Regulatory
Publications July 25, 2023
Improving Access to Medicine: The Role of Pharma Companies in Emerging Markets
Our Market Access experts have identified risks and opportunities associated with improving access to medicines in emerging countries.
Market Access Pharma
Blog July 24, 2023
What EU Companies Need to Know about the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act
We spoke with our inhouse experts to learn about the significance of the US Inflation Reduction Act for EU pharma and biotech companies.
Biotech Drug Development Pharma
Publications July 11, 2023
Mid-size Pharma Accelerates Early Clinical Trial Engagement of Patients with A Rare Neurological Disease
A mid-size pharma company sought an experienced advisor who could help them engage patients for an open-label extension clinical study in a rare neurological disease.
Clinical Trials Patient Engagement Pharma Rare Disease
Publications July 10, 2023
The EU Pharmaceutical Package: Regulatory Protection Changes
Our regulatory experts present a more detailed analysis of the proposed changes introduced to Regulatory Data Protection (RDP).
EU Pharma Regulatory
Welcome to Alira Health. This site is best viewed in Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox.