70% faster therapeutic drug development
97% fewer molecules built physically in a lab thanks to rapid simulations
4,000x larger dataset available to improve lymphoma research results
Speeds up computations from weeks to hours with Compute Engine and Cloud GPUs
Scales on demand to support expanding initiatives to save more lives
Schrödinger uses Google Cloud as the foundation for its platform that accelerates drug development from years to months, saving lives.
Schrödinger uses Google Cloud as the foundation for its platform that accelerates drug development from years to months, saving lives.
Pioneering a new way for health research
The work that we're doing has a direct impact on peoples' lives. With Google Cloud, Schrödinger is accelerating the discovery of new materials and therapeutics faster than ever before.
Shane Browner
Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Schrödinger
Every year, dozens of new therapeutic drugs hit the market, transforming and saving lives around the world. But the path to commercialization requires enormous investment and long lead times for research and development. Schrödinger, a leader in developing state-of-the-art chemical simulation software, embraces a mission to support human health by making it faster, easier, and more cost-effective to discover new treatments.
The difference is Schrödinger's pioneering physics-based computational platform that helps test and explore molecules virtually, eliminating the time and cost of synthesizing molecules in labs.
During a typical drug discovery, researchers will consider numerous factors when designing a molecule. For instance, they might be looking for a molecule that binds to a protein associated with cancer. They need something that will attach to the protein, switch it on or off, and stay in the body long enough to have a positive impact with minimal side effects. It can take years for researchers to synthesize and test thousands of molecules in labs to determine whether they meet requirements.
"Drug discovery programs are long, expensive, and prone to failure," says Shane Browner, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Schrödinger. "At Schrödinger, we created a platform on Google Cloud that allows researchers to build everything in a virtual lab. Instead of taking two to three years, researchers can be ready for human testing in ten months. Those years saved can mean the difference between life and death for a patient in need."
Running Schrödinger's platform takes huge amounts of computational power. The company chose Google Cloud to provide the foundation for simulations, computations, and predictions that lead to life-changing innovations. With BigQuery, Cloud GPUs, and Compute Engine, Schrödinger achieves the performance it needs to deliver the best possible outcomes for a growing number of customers around the world.
Accelerating life-saving drug development at scale
Compute Engine and Cloud GPUs have transformed how Schrödinger handles its intensive simulation jobs. Workloads often come in bursts, with each simulation requiring compute up to 10,000x higher compared to low volume periods. Legacy on-premises clusters could not keep up, and as a result, it could take up to three weeks to complete a single calculation. With Google Cloud, the platform can scale horizontally to take advantage of more GPUs and CPUs, finishing computations within hours.
Google Cloud also offers the advantage of providing an entire suite of products to easily add new capabilities to the platform.
With Google Cloud, we can take advantage of available resources all over the world and get even the most complex jobs done in a weekend. That's power, cost, and time savings that make an impact to the bottom line, and to patients.
Shane Browner
Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Schrödinger
For instance, Schrödinger added BigQuery to serve as a data hub containing hundreds of billions of molecules, reagents, and new iterations designed by the Schrödinger platform. Researchers can search through the data looking for specific properties that they believe will help them achieve their goals.
One program running on Schrödinger's platform aimed to inhibit a certain protein in hopes of treating lymphoma. Typically, researchers might start by looking at two to three million molecules, but using the upgraded platform, they started with a much larger dataset of eight billion. "When you have a great starting point with a wide dataset, it can really improve your results down the road," says Browner.
The platform then iterated through simulations, using machine learning to identify the most promising molecules. These calculations narrowed the field from eight billion to just the top 78 candidate molecules.
"Instead of spending years synthesizing 2,500 molecules in a lab, researchers only needed to create 78," explains Browner. "We're accelerating research and getting therapies in the hands of clinicians and patients months or even years faster."
Pushing the envelope of therapeutic discovery
We're trying to push the envelope of what's possible, and that means we often don't have a clear path in front of us. Google Cloud product teams are always working by our side to move forward faster and contribute to a healthier future.
Shane Browner
Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Schrödinger
Schrödinger has seen the world of technology change dramatically over the past ten years, but its partnership with Google Cloud remains consistent. The infrastructure is very secure and stable, allowing Browner and his IT teams to shift time from fighting fires to optimizing and expanding the environment.
Browner is particularly excited about the next big leap in the platform, which will introduce predictive toxicology pipelines. These processes will help identify negative side effects, such as increased risk of heart attacks, and rule out those molecules early in the development. Not only will this potentially save years of development, but it will also alleviate negative patient impacts during the human testing phase. Google Cloud will continue to support and scale with the Schrödinger platform as it expands.
"We're changing the paradigm of drug design and discovery by incorporating digital simulations into a traditionally very physical pipeline," says Browner. "Our customers are making discoveries that make the difference between life and death for patients. Building on our Google Cloud foundation, we're accelerating the pipeline to make an even bigger difference in the world."
Schrödinger is a global life sciences and materials software company transforming molecular discovery with physics-driven computational tools for drug development and advanced materials.
Industry: Healthcare and Life Sciences
Location: United States
Products: BigQuery, Cloud GPUs, Compute Engine
