July 1, Hangzhou – A delegation led by Li Mingzhen, Director of the Division of Agricultural and Social Affairs, Zhejiang Institute of Science and Technical Information, conducted a site visit and investigation at Westlake Pharma. The visit aimed to gain a detailed understanding of the latest advancements in applying AI technology to the pharmaceutical field and to conduct in-depth discussions on how to further unlock the potential of AI-powered drug discovery and promote the high-quality development of the biopharmaceutical industry.

The delegation was hosted by Dr. Huang Jing, Co-founder of Westlake Pharma, Dr. Liang Dongdong, General Manager and R&D Director, and other members of the R&D team. 

The visit began with a tour of Westlake Pharma's core laboratories and AI-related technology infrastructure, providing the delegation with a comprehensive overview of the company's progress and current R&D focus. In the subsequent meeting, the Westlake Pharma team presented a detailed report on how the company apply AI to accelerate and enhance the efficiency of drug R&D and shared their insights into the cutting-edge trends of AI in drug discovery.

Building on its practical experience in AI-powered drug discovery, Westlake Pharma launched its proprietary AI drug discovery platform, WAND, last year. The WAND platform integrates physics-inspired artificial intelligence with structural biology, medicinal chemistry, and biochemistry to upgrade the drug R&D paradigm, making drug discovery more precise, efficient, and cost-effective. The research team’s profound understanding of underlying scientific principles has empowered them to design and master the AI platform.

Currently, the WAND platform is fully deployed across the company's R&D pipelines and has already achieved milestone breakthroughs. In the advancement of its core pipelines, the deep application of AI has enabled the company to achieve significantly higher R&D efficiency compared to traditional methods.

The visit provided the company with valuable insights. And it also reinforced among all company members the firm commitment of the provincial government to developing new productive forces. 

Looking ahead, Westlake Pharma will continue to deepen its expertise in core AI drug discovery technologies, collaborate with partners from industry, and explore efficient and precise pathways for novel drug R&D, striving to contribute Chinese innovation to global health.