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✨ Onyx Summary
MassBio and Google co-hosted the 2025 AI for Drug Discovery Training in Cambridge, bringing together more than 60 life sciences professionals from start-ups, academia, and pharma for hands-on sessions with Google’s Gemini and Vertex AI platforms.
By equipping the Massachusetts biotech community with AI-driven skills, the program highlights how techbio is becoming a cornerstone of the state’s Vision 2030 strategy—and a catalyst for the next generation of drug discovery breakthroughs.
Last week, MassBio and Google came together in Cambridge to host the 2025 Google AI for Drug Discovery Training — a two-day, hands-on program designed to equip life sciences professionals with the tools and skills they need to leverage AI in transforming drug discovery and development.
“It was such a fantastic event with the team from MassBio,” says Bill Fitzgerald, head of biotechnology markets Americas for Google. “It’s wonderful the way the attendees spanned start-ups, research academia, and big pharma. The whole ecosystem had fun.”
More than 60 employees from local companies participated, filling the room with curiosity, energy, and collaboration. As MassBio’s Chief Innovation & Operating Officer Jason Cordeiro put it, “This training is more than just a workshop—it’s a tangible step forward on MassBio’s Vision 2030 journey, empowering our community with the skills to lead in the rapidly evolving world of AI-driven drug discovery.”
AI’s Growing Role in Biopharma
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant promise; it’s already reshaping the way we discover, test, and deliver new medicines. From predicting protein structures to optimizing clinical trial design, AI is accelerating timelines, reducing costs, and uncovering insights that would be impossible to see with traditional methods alone.
MassBio’s Vision 2030 report identified Techbio, the convergence of life sciences and advanced technology, as a critical growth engine for Massachusetts’s innovation ecosystem. Training programs like this one are designed to ensure our community stays ahead of the curve, building a workforce fluent in biology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science.
Hands-On Learning with Gemini & Vertex AI
Attendees dove into Google’s AI offerings, including Gemini, a generative AI platform capable of scanning vast scientific literature and predicting molecular interactions, and Vertex AI, which enables researchers to train custom machine learning models on massive datasets.
Leah, one of the participants, expressed her excitement about the program: “It’s clearer than ever that AI is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s here, and it’s essential…the collaboration with MassBio has been a fantastic opportunity to see firsthand how the tech and life sciences worlds are converging.”
Another attendee, Ana, reflected on AI’s role in the future of science: “AI is not here to replace scientists; rather, it empowers those who can harness its potential to spearhead the upcoming era of innovations. Being part of this dialogue is both exhilarating and promising.”
Shaping the Future—Together
The training also created space for networking and collaboration, allowing participants to exchange ideas and build connections that will carry beyond the classroom.
“We need to stop thinking of technology as something separate from our work,” Leah added. “AI is a co-pilot, a partner that helps us tackle complex tasks more efficiently and creatively. For the next generation of professionals in science and medicine, learning to use these tools is a non-negotiable skill.”
As the biotech industry continues to embrace techbio, MassBio will remain focused on creating opportunities like this one to ensure that Massachusetts stays the global leader in life sciences innovation.
Jason, perhaps, summed it up best:
“The future of biotech depends on talent that can bridge science and technology, and our participants are at the forefront of that movement. Together, we’re shaping the future of drug discovery—one breakthrough at a time.”