Nucleate Taiwan Unites Academia and Industry to Explore Healthcare Innovations Through AI

On October 17, 2024, Nucleate Taiwan hosted the highly anticipated “AI in Biotech: Applications in Healthcare” event, drawing over 100 attendees from academia and industry. Generously sponsored by Acer Medical, the Life Sciences Research Promotion Center (LSRPC), and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), this event has brought together great talks about AI-driven advancements in medical diagnostics, drug discovery, and healthcare.

Nucleate, a student-led non-profit organization, is dedicated to bridging the gap between academia and industry, particularly in the biotech sector. Nucleate Taiwan, as an associate chapter, has demonstrated tremendous growth over the past year, organizing events and workshops tailored to student trainees to help them prepare the next generation of life science professionals.

The event featured in-depth discussions on the current and future applications of AI in healthcare, offering valuable insights into how AI is transforming medical analysis and treatment. Dr. Allen Lien from Acer Medical, Dr. Ying-Ja Chen from NVIDIA, and Prof. Jack Li from Taipei Medical University each shared their expertise, providing a well-rounded perspective on AI’s role in advancing medical technology.

Dr. Allen Lien shares his experience in academia before getting into the biomedical industry

Tackling Healthcare’s Wicked Problems with AI: Dr. Allen Lien’s Perspective

Dr. Allen Lien shared his insightful journey in commercializing AI healthcare solutions. His vast experience in contributing to public health and education in Africa through volunteer work was able to inspire him to explore urgent medical advancements that the status quo needs.  Introducing Acer Medical as one of the leading companies in healthcare, Dr. Lien shared his key innovations, AI-powered tools in screening diseases such as osteoporosis, emphasizing that addressing wicked problems in healthcare requires finding their root causes and starting from there and building scalable solutions.

AI Transforming Genomics and Drug Discovery: Valuable Insights from Dr. Ying-Ja Chen

Dr. Ying-Ja Chen opened her talk with a discussion about the recent Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry and Physics which both involved the use of artificial machine learning, showing the importance of AI development for the near future, including in genomics and drug discovery. She highlighted breakthroughs in protein structure prediction and also introduced NVIDIA NIM, a platform that streamlines AI model deployment, enabling researchers to leverage advanced technologies in their workflows. Attendees were engaged and gained a clearer understanding of how AI is poised to transform the drug discovery landscape. 

Exploring AI’s Role in Medicine: Learning from Prof. Jack Li’s Understanding

Prof. Jack Li contrasted predictive AI with generative AI, underlining how modern AI systems have developed a form of common sense that aids in medical diagnosis. He explained that AI continues to enhance its capabilities through ongoing upgrades and increased parameters. The ability of AI, such as ChatGPT, to provide medical diagnosis through pictures was given as a significant example that AI will only keep on growing and impacting the healthcare field. However, he also cautioned that the integration of AI in healthcare carries risks, providing attendees with a nuanced understanding of both AI’s benefits and challenges.

Over 100 attendees joined Nucleate Taiwan’s ‘AI in Biotech’ event

The event ended with a fireside chat that focused on the importance of identifying problems to effectively leverage AI in finding solutions. The speakers agreed that the future of AI lies in its ability to make more accurate predictions and understand complex issues. “The advancements of AI are unpredictable, that is why the future generations need to be agile in asking the right questions and finding the right solutions,” said Prof. Jack Li as he concluded the session. Attendees left with important takeaways from the discussions, gaining a clearer understanding of how to navigate the changing landscape of AI in biotech.

The event held by Nucleate Taiwan helps open the eyes of many not only to the opportunities but also to the challenges that AI brings. AI’s role is undeniably significant in shaping the future of healthcare, paving the way for innovative solutions and responsible integration.

Article written by Nucleate Taiwan

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