In March and April of this year, ULLA hosted its first online course, Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery. Over six weeks, participants from our ten member institutes gained hands-on experience with various AI techniques that are transforming the early stages of drug discovery. The participants collaborated in small groups, sharing their experiences and working together to tackle the weekly assignments.
During the final week of the course, the groups conducted a case study where they applied the course concepts to real drug discovery datasets, like building QSAR models for specific drug targets. Finally, staff and participants engaged in an online poster session, where each group showcased their impressive results. Three groups were honored with the “best poster award” for their creative solutions to the problem.
A massive thank you to all the participants who brought their enthusiasm and engagement throughout the course. Additionally, we extend our appreciation to our expert course teachers, Gerard JP Van Westen, Ola Spjuth , and Albert J. Kooistra, as well as the course coordinators, Danny Scholten and Sonja van Scheijen for their dedicated efforts in making this course a success. Be sure to follow us as we prepare for more online courses that will be foundational for building a strong knowledge base and skill set that prepare a new generation of pharmaceutical scientists for the challenges of the future.
