Pfizer and IBM Watson Health announce immuno-oncology collaboration

Pfizer has announced the launch of a new collaborative drug development project that will see the company partner with IBM Watson Health.

Under the terms of the alliance, Pfizer will utilise the cloud-based cognitive tool IBM Watson for Drug Discovery to accelerate its research in the field of immuno-oncology, an approach that uses the body's immune system to help fight cancer.

This allows Pfizer to leverage machine learning, natural language processing and other cognitive reasoning technologies to support the identification of new drug targets, combination therapies for study, and patient selection strategies in immuno-oncology.

Using the technology, it will be easier for the company to analyse large volumes of data and test hypotheses to generate evidence-based insights for real-time interaction, while also carrying out efficient safety assessments.

Mikael Dolsten, president of Pfizer's worldwide research and development business, said: "We are hopeful that by leveraging Watson's cognitive capabilities in our drug discovery efforts, we will be able to bring promising new immuno-oncology therapeutics to patients more quickly."

Watson for Drug Discovery brings together data from 25 million Medline abstracts, more than one million full-text medical journal articles and four million patents. Pfizer is one of the first organisations worldwide to deploy the tool.

With over 20 years of experience within the pharmaceutical market, we at Zenopa have the knowledge, skills and expertise to help find the right job for you. To find out more about the current pharmaceutical roles we have available, you can search for the latest job roles, register your details, or contact the team today.