Why Is TikTok Parent ByteDance Moving Into Biology, Chemistry And Drug Discovery

Forbes

Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2024/01/02/tiktok-bytedance-pharmaceuticals-drug-discovery-science-biology-chemistry-ai-china/?sh=12000fd50874  Forbes Daily Briefing shares the best of Forbes reporting on wealth, business, entrepreneurship, leadership and more. Tune in every day, seven days a week, to hear a new story. Subscribe here: https://art19.com/shows/forbes-daily-briefing  The Daily Briefing is edited, produced and hosted by Kieran Meadows.   Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00 Today on Forbes, why is TikTok parent ByteDance moving into biology, chemistry, and drug discovery?

00:08 ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, appears to be ramping up work in fields well

00:14 beyond the bounds of social media—biology, chemistry, natural sciences, and pharmaceuticals.

00:21 The Beijing-based tech giant is recruiting American talent in computational biology,

00:26 quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics, and physics for its "AI for Drug Design" and

00:32 "AI for Science" teams, according to LinkedIn posts reviewed by Forbes.

00:39 ByteDance appears to be hiring for at least 17 of these positions across New York, California,

00:44 and Washington state, taking a swing at local rivals like Meta, Google, and Amazon, where

00:50 similar work is already underway.

00:53 Others leading these efforts at ByteDance appear to be based in Chicago, Boston, and

00:57 Beijing, according to LinkedIn.

01:00 The "AI for Drug Design" team aims to "revolutionize drug discovery," according to one job listing

01:06 recruiting PhD students to Silicon Valley.

01:09 It goes on to say, "We are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI-driven drug design, tackling

01:15 complex challenges in protein structure prediction, molecular confirmation analysis, and computational

01:22 protein design.

01:23 By combining our passion for scientific excellence with the transformative power of AI, we aim

01:28 to accelerate drug discovery and make a meaningful impact on global health care."

01:34 ByteDance's "AI for Science" group, meanwhile, according to listings for research scientists

01:38 in computational biology and quantum chemistry in Seattle, "has been focusing on tackling

01:44 challenges in natural sciences, including biology, physics, and materials."

01:50 Staffers across the board will "co-create a future" with ByteDance, the listings say.

01:57 What exactly that future is to be isn't clear.

02:00 It is also unclear how drug discovery or development and other science-focused efforts fit into

02:06 ByteDance's sprawling repertoire of social media sensations like TikTok and its Chinese

02:11 counterpart Douyin.

02:13 ByteDance declined to comment on what its objectives are, how large the AI for Drug

02:17 Design and Science teams are today, and who it may have already hired.

02:21 But a head of AI for Drug Design and Science started at the company this past summer, per

02:25 LinkedIn, an expert who is also running UCLA's General Artificial Intelligence Lab.

02:31 And the team has already released research on protein design and drug design, and an

02:35 open-source tool combining structural biology with AI.

02:40 Forbes found no indication that these ByteDance initiatives are related to TikTok, and TikTok

02:44 did not respond to a request for comment about whether they are in any way linked.

02:49 But experts said data from TikTok and other platforms owned by ByteDance could be highly

02:54 valuable for these science initiatives.

02:56 And though TikTok has emphasized that it operates largely separately from its Chinese parent,

03:01 Forbes reporting has repeatedly revealed the extent to which the businesses are entangled,

03:05 and data from one company is often accessible by both.

03:10 In the development of new drugs or medical treatments, experts in pharmaceutical companies

03:14 typically work around what's called a quote "target product profile," a rubric that

03:18 helps them distill what their optimal drug would look like, the conditions or key problems

03:23 they'd address with it, and who their ideal patients, candidates, or markets are.

03:28 Experts said TikTok is where many people are drawn to health and wellness content, talk

03:32 openly about medical issues, and regularly seek information on what has or hasn't worked

03:37 for others.

03:38 They said TikTok could serve as an invaluable feedback loop and marketing tool for drug

03:42 developers.

03:44 Spending data collected from TikTok shop and in-app purchases could also be useful.

03:50 Douglas Schmidt, associate provost for research and co-director of the Data Science Institute

03:54 at Vanderbilt University, noted that many young Americans are medicated for ADHD, anxiety,

04:00 and other mental health conditions.

04:02 He said, quote, "Based on the kinds of videos that young TikTok users watch, or the content

04:07 that they consume, it might provide insights as to conditions that they're facing.

04:11 If you could find a way to sell products that would be appealing to them, you can certainly

04:15 imagine building up a robust pharmaceuticals industry or a competitive product, then advertising

04:20 it on TikTok."

04:23 For full coverage, check out Alexandra S. Levine's piece on Forbes.com.

04:29 This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.

04:31 Thanks for tuning in.

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