OpenAI and Thermo Fisher Scientific partner to speed up drug development using AI
OpenAI has announced a new collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific to use artificial intelligence to improve drug development speed, efficiency, and clinical success.
OpenAI for Business has announced a collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific to apply its technology across the company’s life sciences and pharmaceutical operations.
The initiative aims to enhance productivity, streamline research, and reduce the cost and time required to bring new medicines to market.
Thermo Fisher, which reported annual revenue of more than $40 billion, is introducing ChatGPT Enterprise to its global teams to increase familiarity with AI systems. It is also integrating OpenAI’s APIs into product development, service delivery, customer engagement, and operational workflows.
The company said the collaboration will “accelerate the time to bring new medicines to market, more quickly help identify therapies that are unlikely to succeed, and deliver great speed, simplicity, and scalability to customers.”
Integrating AI across clinical research and operations
The partnership’s initial focus is on Thermo Fisher’s PPD clinical research business, where OpenAI technology will be used to shorten trial cycles and improve decision-making in early-stage drug development.
Thermo Fisher is also embedding AI into its Accelerator Drug Development solution, a framework that covers the full drug development process from discovery and Phase I–III research to manufacturing and commercialization. The system is designed to give customers greater control and insight across the drug pipeline.
Marc Casper, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Thermo Fisher Scientific, says: “AI is shaping the future of science. And when combined with our Mission to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer, it is a powerful catalyst to accelerate scientific advancement. With OpenAI, we’re further embedding AI across our operations, products and services. Together, we’re building an ecosystem that accelerates scientific breakthroughs and delivers impact for customers, patients and society.”
ChatGPT Enterprise rollout and wider AI strategy
Alongside the operational integration, Thermo Fisher is rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise to employees to encourage confident use of AI tools within day-to-day workflows. This forms part of the company’s wider effort to embed artificial intelligence across departments and enhance digital fluency.
Brad Lightcap, Chief Operating Officer at OpenAI, says: “Thermo Fisher plays a massive role in advancing science, and together we have an opportunity to accelerate how medicine can reach more people. With OpenAI directly powering Thermo Fisher workflows, frontier AI can help cut through complexity, speed up breakthroughs, and bring real impact to patients’ lives.”
