Best practices for machine learning in antibody discovery and development.

Journal: Drug discovery today
Published Date:

Abstract

In the past 40 years, therapeutic antibody discovery and development have advanced considerably, with machine learning (ML) offering a promising way to speed up the process by reducing costs and the number of experiments required. Recent progress in ML-guided antibody design and development (D&D) has been hindered by the diversity of data sets and evaluation methods, which makes it difficult to conduct comparisons and assess utility. Establishing standards and guidelines will be crucial for the wider adoption of ML and the advancement of the field. This perspective critically reviews current practices, highlights common pitfalls and proposes method development and evaluation guidelines for various ML-based techniques in therapeutic antibody D&D. Addressing challenges across the ML process, best practices are recommended for each stage to enhance reproducibility and progress.

Authors

  • Leonard Wossnig
    LabGenius Ltd, The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London SE16 4DG, UK; Department of Computer Science, University College London, 66-72 Gower St, London WC1E 6EA, UK. Electronic address: leonard.wossnig@labgeni.us.
  • Norbert Furtmann
    R&D Large Molecules Research Platform, Sanofi Deutschland GmbH, Industriepark Höchst, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany.
  • Andrew Buchanan
    Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, CB2 0AA, UK.
  • Sandeep Kumar
    Cellon S.A., ZAE Robert Steichen, 16 rue Hèierchen, L-4940, Bascharage, Luxembourg.
  • Victor Greiff
    Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.