AI and drugs: Bellinzona in the SWIT-DREAMS project

Context

In brief

• SWIT-DREAMS combines AI and molecular biology
• Interreg is funding the project with 1,37 million euros
• The research will last 30 months
• Choose Life Biotech SA is the Swiss partner

Key facts

• Project → SWIT-DREAMS
• Kick-off venue → Fondazione Novara Sviluppo
• Programme → Interreg Italy-Switzerland
• Budget → 1,37 million euros
• Duration → 30 months
• Partners → four
• Swiss partner → Choose Life Biotech SA, Bellinzona
• Sector estimate in 2035 → 852 billion euros

The SWIT-DREAMS project officially gets underway in Novara. The presentation was held yesterday at the premises of Fondazione Novara Sviluppo, during the kick-off meeting between the scientific partners and the representatives of the European Interreg Italy-Switzerland programme. The programme funded the initiative with a budget of 1,37 million euros.

The objective is to create an integrated Italian-Swiss platform for the development of next-generation antibodies and bioconjugates. The project brings together artificial intelligence and molecular biology, with a pathway dedicated to molecules intended for biopharmaceutical research.

The biological drugs sector includes antibodies, nanobodies and antibody-drug conjugates, also known as ADCs. Globally, it is currently worth approximately 256 billion euros. The estimate for 2035 stands at 852 billion, with an annual increase of 13%.

The roles assigned to the four partners

The work will last 30 months and involve four research and innovation organizations. On the Italian side, the University of Eastern Piedmont is leading the project through the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The teams of Professors Davide Ferraris and Tracey Pirali will work on the biostructural study of antibodies and the development of bioconjugates, with the support of the academic spin-off IXTAL.

The Swiss partner is Choose Life Biotech SA of Bellinzona, led by Luca Varani and specializing in nanobody screening. The University of Milan, with Professor Alessandro Contini's group, will handle AI-based molecular modelling. The Ibis Consortium of Novara, under the leadership of President Luigi Panza and Director Barbara Tosi, will handle communication, oversight and dissemination of the scientific results.

The structure therefore brings together diverse expertise: antibody selection and study, nanobody screening, computational modelling and research communication.

Operational details

The Swiss dimension of the project

For those reading the news from the Swiss side, the concrete point is the role assigned to Bellinzona within the platform. Choose Life Biotech SA is not indicated solely as the Swiss site, but as the partner specializing in nanobody screening. Swiss participation is therefore included in a specific phase of the scientific work.

The project should be viewed at an equally precise scale. The 256 billion euros referring to the current value of the sector and the estimate of 852 billion in 2035 are global data on the biological drugs sector. They do not represent a specific forecast for Switzerland. The 13% indicated in the source likewise describes the annual growth of the global sector, not an expected result for a single company or a single area.

The same criterion applies to the funding. The source indicates a total budget of 1,37 million euros for the Italy-Switzerland Interreg initiative, without assigning separate shares to the four partners. For this reason, the soundest interpretation concerns cross-border collaboration and the positioning of the research, rather than an economic impact already measured for Bellinzona.

An operational reading of the data

This distinction helps avoid confusing the start of research with the availability of a new drug. The work described proceeds through four consecutive steps and the stated objective is an integrated platform. Those who want to examine the entrepreneurial side of the Swiss market can consult the aziende che assumono, without attributing to that tool a specific announcement related to SWIT-DREAMS.

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Key points

How to follow developments

The source makes it possible to devise a simple procedure for following future developments without adding results that have not yet been described. The first step consists of establishing the official status: the project began with the kick-off in Novara, and the work is planned over 30 months. This duration should be understood as the timeframe for the activity, not as a date given for product availability.

Four checks for reading updates

1. Verify the stage: the sequence begins with the identification and selection of candidate nanobodies. 2. Check the characterization: the next step concerns biochemical and structural aspects. 3. Separate the roles: AI-based modeling is handled by the group at Università degli Studi di Milano, while Choose Life Biotech SA handles the screening of nanobodies. 4. Recognize the result described: after computational optimization come chemical synthesis and bioconjugation with the active ingredients.

A second check concerns communication. Consorzio Ibis is the partner indicated for communication, supervision, and dissemination of scientific results. When updates are presented, it is therefore advisable to distinguish between a stage in the process and a scientific result already disseminated, keeping global market data separate from the project's activities.

For those following the initiative with a professional interest, the source contains no recruitment announcements. The reading can be supplemented with annunci di lavoro, without presenting the project as a promise of new positions. For a check of personal income, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: malpensa24.it