Team Master’s Project Findings on Artificial Intelligence Published in DIA Journal

The findings of a Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) Team Master’s Project (TMP) from the 2017-18 school year have been published in the December 6, 2018 edition of the Drug Information Association’s Journal Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science.

The Team Master’s Project was titled “Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies for Regulatory Intelligence” and was conducted in conjunction with global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company.

“Artificial intelligence (AI) has already made key contributions in the banking, auto, and legal industries, but AI application in the biotechnology industry is still in its infancy because of regulatory concerns,” said KGI professor of practice and team faculty advisor Rajesh Parti.

The Eli Lilly TMP team researched the potential utility of AI and machine learning, which would be the key to realizing the potential of AI for the regulatory community. To identify the best path for the development of this technology, the TMP team conducted extensive research including interviewing over 30 global regulatory department leaders at 22 different pharmaceutical companies and three leading companies in regulatory intelligence and artificial intelligence technologies. The team elucidated the value proposition, barriers, and risks to integrating artificial intelligence into the regulatory intelligence field.

“This TMP project revealed that the biotechnology industry is interested in AI and is already investing in exploratory studies to evaluate the application of AI in the area of Regulatory Intelligence,” concluded Parti.

In addition to working with faculty advisor Parti, the team collaborated with company liaison Mark Mayer, Global Regulatory Policy & Intelligence at Eli Lilly. The team members included Angelia Canedo, MBS ’18; Tam Dinh, PPC ’18; Madelyn Low, MBS ’18; and Ariel Ortiz, MBS ’18.

“We were thrilled to hear that our article was accepted in Therapeutic Innovations & Regulatory Science,” said Mayer. “Based on this publication, the TMP project results have been widely circulated and are now part of the preliminary literature on the promise that AI holds for regulatory intelligence.”

The TMP at KGI is a degree requirement for several degree programs in the Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences. The TMP provides students an opportunity to tackle real-life industry problems or opportunities as, essentially, a consulting team for a company. Learn more about KGI’s Team Master’s Project by visiting kgi.edu/tmp.