The Application of AI in Drug Discovery: Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies

Early phase: Since ancient times, drugs have been utilized for physical remedies, often mixed with religious and spiritual practices. Initially, drug sources consisted of plant products, animal materials, and minerals (Castiglioni, 2019).

Chinese Medicine: Dating back to 3500 BC, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) had extensive pharmacopeia. Some active ingredients from Chinese herbs have found their way into Western drugs, exhibiting the blend of ancient wisdom with modern pharmaceutical practices (Xu et al., 2019).

Egyptian and Indian Medicine: The ancient Egyptians relied on herbs such as turmeric and garlic, which are mentioned in papyrus records. Ayurvedic medicine in India has its roots from 3000 – 5000 years ago and emphasizes the treatments prescribed in the sacred texts under the name of Veda (Metwaly et al., 2021).

Greek and Roman Contributions: The Greeks with prominent figures like Hippocrates, and physicians like Dioscorides and Galen greatly advanced the knowledge of medicine and the knowledge of medicine and their work laid the foundation of knowledge for the subsequent development of medicine and medicine (Nutton, 2012).

Middle Ages to Renaissance: During the Middle Ages the Roman influence declined but the medical knowledge of the Arabs expanded. The Renaissance then marked a turning point in the flow of scientific thought in medicine, setting the stage for the discovery and development of modern medicine (Nutton, 2012).