During a recent GEN webinar, Jon Stokes, PhD, and Jeff Skinner, MBA, of Stoked Bio discussed the innovative strategies their company employs to address two significant medical challenges: antimicrobial resistance and glioblastoma. The webinar highlighted Stoked Bio”s unique “biology-first” approach, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance drug discovery processes.
The Mosaic platform, developed by Stoked Bio, integrates advanced computational models with biological insights. This integration allows for the efficient identification of new antimicrobials and therapies targeting glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. By utilizing phenotypic screening and proprietary training datasets, the platform aims to streamline the drug discovery process while minimizing costs and reducing the high failure rates often seen in early development stages.
In the webinar, Stokes, who is both the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Stoked Bio, emphasized the importance of AI in modern drug discovery. His academic background includes a focus on AI-driven methodologies for discovering novel antibiotics and understanding bacterial cell physiology in complex infection scenarios. Stokes has made significant contributions to the field of antimicrobial resistance and is recognized for pioneering efforts in utilizing AI for drug development.
Alongside him, Skinner, the CEO of Stoked Bio, brings his expertise in business development and strategic partnerships to the organization. With years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Skinner has successfully navigated licensing agreements and collaborations that enhance drug development pathways.
The challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance and glioblastoma are becoming increasingly pressing, as existing therapies struggle against evolving resistance mechanisms and tumor adaptations. Stoked Bio aims to tackle these issues head-on by fostering collaborations between academia and industry, enabling the translation of research findings into clinically relevant treatments.
Key takeaways from the discussion included insights into how their biology-first approach accelerates the drug discovery process, the integration of academic research into scalable models, and the use of CDD Vault to manage data effectively. A live Q&A session followed the presentations, allowing attendees to engage directly with the expert panel.
