Welsh Data Miner Hits Jackpot

Throughout the Industrial Revolution, the Welsh were reknown for mining coal and slate. Somewhat continuing in that tradition, Andrew Hopkins, a modern Welshman, has made a great success of data mining (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/01/welsh-scientist-makes-potential-539m-fortune-from-biotech-flotation-in-us). Hopkins, whilst working as an Oxford Biophysics PhD student in the 1990s, was tasked with looking for treatments for HIV (AIDS) infections. He found the process of eyeballing the existing mountains of data, laborious and slow. He consequently developed automated computer algorithms (AI) for screening large datasets. AI detected patterns within seconds, rather than the months it would take a human. Subsequently, Hopkins continued to develop his ideas. He did this, whilst working for almost 10 years for Pfizer (the US pharmaceutical company) and then 5 years at Dundee (Scotland) University. In 2012, Hopkins set up the Oxford-based, Exscientia company. The company has already had some successes, working in collaboration with a number of drug companies. Its AI techniques, have e.g. been used to develop the first drug used exclusively to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. Exscientia has also made progress in developing drugs to treat solid tumours. Pharmaceutical companies are generally very enthusiastic about using AI. It cuts about one third off the cost of early-stage drug development. Exscientia has recently had a $2.9bn floatation on the New York stock exchange (they didn't bother with London). Hopkins' paper fortune (based on his shares), is currently $540m. There's gold in them there hills!