AI cuts early cancer drug discovery from 8 years to 3 months: Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee
What happened
Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, CEO of Manas AI, announced at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2026 in New Delhi that artificial intelligence has reduced the time needed for early-stage cancer drug discovery from nearly eight years to just three or four months. Manas AI uses machine learning combined with physics and chemistry to design new drug molecules, speeding up the identification and testing process. However, Dr. Mukherjee noted that clinical trials, manufacturing, and regulatory approvals still require years and contribute to high costs. He called for regulatory reforms in countries like India and China to help lower these barriers.
Key details
- Manas AI can identify a target spot on a pancreatic cancer protein in two hours, a task that previously took a decade.
- Each design-and-test cycle at Manas AI takes three weeks using AI and robotic lab testing.
- Experimental cancer drug candidates developed are up to 200 times stronger than existing competitor drugs.
- Customized blood cancer treatments at Immuneel Therapeutics in India cost about $35,000, compared to $500,000 in the United States.
- The World Health Organization estimates 20.6 million new cancer cases and nearly 10 million deaths worldwide each year.
Why it matters
Pharmaceutical companies and cancer patients could benefit from much faster early-stage drug discovery, potentially accelerating the development of new treatments. However, the overall timeline and cost for bringing new cancer drugs to market remain high due to lengthy clinical trials and regulatory requirements. Policymakers in countries with large patient populations, such as India and China, face decisions about reforming testing and approval processes to make these advances more accessible and affordable.