Brian S. Hilbush - In Silico Dreams: How Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology Will Create the Medicines of the Future

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 6
6. Chapter 7

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8

Brian Hilbush

Copyright 2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

ISBN: 978-1-119-74557-0
ISBN: 978-1-119-74564-8 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-1-119-74563-1 (ebk)

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Cover Image: Vladyslav Otsiatsia/Getty Images
Cover Design: Wiley

Brian Hilbush is a biotechnology and genomics expert with three decades of executive-level business and scientific management experience in the life sciences. Brian has worked at Fortune 500 companies, consulted for the pharmaceutical and semiconductor sectors, and commercialized technology platforms in genomics. Brian co-founded ModGene, where he built a genetics-based drug target discovery platform with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases. His technical expertise resides at the intersection of genomics, artificial intelligence, and bioinformatics. Brian has led technical teams developing software and analytics pipelines for human genomics studies, neuroanatomy, and gene expression. He has co-authored numerous scientific publications and was co-inventor on patents for novel treatments of Alzheimer's disease. Brian received his BS in cell and molecular biology from the University of Washington and his PhD in neuroscience from Stony Brook University in 1991. For more information on this book, please visit insilicodreams.com.

Ted Coombs is a polymath futurist, technologist, and author of 24 technology books. His career in tech started in the 1970s as a laser engineer and roboticist. He began working in AI in 1983 for the Cleveland Clinic. He is one of the founders of modern computer forensics and today is also known for his knowledge of AIOps and DataOps. Ted is also an accomplished musician and fine artist.

This book was written entirely during the period spanning the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the outbreak, I discussed ideas for a book with Kenyon Brown, senior content acquisitions editor at Wiley, who provided suggestions on topics and content flow. It was out of these discussions that In Silico Dreams was formed; I thank Ken for his input at inception and guidance along the way. I also thank Gary Schwartz for expert editing and contributions to the flow of the book and to Ted Coombs for technical review and suggestions. I am also appreciative of the support of Christine O'Connor, managing editor; Saravanan Dakshinamurthy, Rachel Fogelberg, and the production staff; and Michael Trent for developing the cover design.

I gratefully acknowledge discussions, exchanges, and other communications that I had with individuals whose works and quotes are contained herein, including David Van Essen, Dan Felleman, Tushar Pandey, Philippe Schwabe, and Michael Wu for permission to use original figures, Emmanuelle Charpentier for clarifications on the potential of CRISPR technology, and many others in the STEM communities.

My intention in writing this book was to capture for the reader the intense pace of research and innovation occurring across many disciplines that are converging to impact medicine's future. Because of the enormous volume of work that has transpired over the past decade in artificial intelligence and biotechnology, it was impossible to cover all significant advances. I apologize for those omissions and for any errors in interpretation of technologies and research findings that I did cover as part of this project.

My personal journey inspired thoughts on many pages of this book. My meanderings across the once-separate fields of neuroscience, molecular biology, and computer science began in earnest while I was a freshman at the University of Washington in Seattle. I thank Donna Simmons for opening the door to neuroscience with a stint in her histology laboratory; Vijay Sarthy for allowing me to explore retinal neurochemistry and molecular biology in his research group; and Joel Levine for his patience and mentorship while I was a doctoral candidate in his lab, along with Simon Halegoua and many others at Stony Brook University. My first foray into industry was with James Morgan at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, a part of the pharmaceutical giant Hoffmann-La Roche in Nutley, New Jersey. I thank Jim for allowing me to plunge headlong into molecular biology.