Mack MacKenzie has seen many radical industry shifts throughout his professional life, from the emergence of the internet and e-commerce to ERP and blockchain — but nothing comes close to what’s happening in the world right now.
“All of that was tremendous and exciting, but I think that AI might just beat them all out,” he said.
MacKenzie has spent the last 21 years of his career at Pfizer, where he currently serves as vice president of digital for the company’s oncology division, business innovation division and enterprise AI. He has seen the organization’s cancer research capabilities evolve over time, fueled by its acquisition of Seagen, an organization specializing in antibody-drug conjugates.
“The acquisition has expanded our oncology pipeline, and it allows us to develop more innovative therapies that target various cancer types more effectively,” MacKenzie explained. “It also combines the expertise and infrastructure of both our companies to enable new life-saving treatments for patients faster than before.”
He believes that Pfizer sits at the intersection of an “almost ‘Golden Age of Science’ and the advent of AI.” Sitting within the overlap of these two emerging trends, the company is in the perfect position to pursue its mission, which is to “deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives.”
As Pfizer continues to amplify its cancer research initiatives, the company is leaning on an arsenal of advanced technology and expertise to achieve its goals, offering a workplace in which brilliant minds have the opportunity to do even more brilliant things for the world.
When AI Meets Human Intelligence
On average, it takes between 11 to 14 years for a new drug to hit the market. But with AI, some believe that this time could be cut in half.
“No one’s actually achieved that yet, but at Pfizer, we believe there’s a significant opportunity for AI to help us move in that direction,” MacKenzie said.
So far, AI has enhanced the company’s ability to analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns that could be missed using traditional methods. The organization is also deploying AI solutions for drug discovery, as the technology has made it easier to expand and advance higher quality drug targets.
According to MacKenzie, AI can help accelerate the company’s patient recruitment objectives as well. When dealing with specialized medicine in oncology, it can be difficult to find patients who match certain clinical trial criteria, but partnerships leveraging AI have helped find and identify suitable trial participants more easily.
Of course, AI alone isn’t the key to Pfizer’s continued push toward cancer research innovation. MacKenzie said that this work requires individuals with advanced degrees in various disciplines, such as molecular biology, computational biology, bioinformatics and clinical research. There are also individuals with extensive backgrounds in computer science, data science, AI and machine learning.
“It’s a multi-disciplinary approach that allows us to integrate cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning into our research processes, enabling us to make faster and bigger strides in understanding and treating cancer,” MacKenzie said.
It’s a multi-disciplinary approach that allows us to integrate cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning into our research processes, enabling us to make faster, bigger strides in understanding and treating cancer.”
Teams of data scientists, data analysts, clinicians and technologists work in tandem to drive progress, staying in sync through regular meetings, while driving alignment and knowledge-sharing with the help of collaborative platforms.
“It’s a collaborative approach that not only accelerates the research process but also fosters our culture of continuous learning and breakthrough innovation,” MacKenzie said.
A $10-Billion Investment
To say Pfizer takes its clinical research and development efforts seriously would be an understatement. According to MacKenzie, the company invested over $10 billion in research and development initiatives last year, believing that these efforts put it one step closer to delivering more and better clinical breakthroughs. Fueled by this investment, the organization has partnered with various AI innovators and platform providers to mature technology that can more effectively advance drug targets and optimize clinical trial designs and operations.
The Opportunity to Change Others’ Lives — and One’s Own
Earlier in his career, before MacKenzie began working at Pfizer, he didn’t appreciate the value of pursuing work with purpose.
Now, more than two decades after joining the company, he feels grateful to have a career that’s as fulfilling as it is impactful.
“When you can align everything you’re working on day in and day out and everybody around you on a mission like saving lives, it’s incredibly inspiring and motivating. It instills a deep sense of purpose and responsibility,” MacKenzie said. “It’s that sense of impact that strengthens my relationship to my work, and it drives me to push the boundaries of innovation and strive for excellence every day.”
When you can align everything you’re working on day in and day out and everybody around you on a mission like saving lives, it’s incredibly inspiring and motivating.”
Inspired by this sense of impact, team members are encouraged to think like entrepreneurs, supported by a “Shark Tank environment” that fosters a culture where colleagues can find sponsorship to pursue their dreams.
“If you have a great idea, it’s not like you have to struggle for a long time to try to find the right environment to bring it to fruition,” MacKenzie said. “Pfizer provides the best of both worlds; the scrappiness of a startup with the scale of one of the world’s largest companies in healthcare.”
Innovative thinking is a cornerstone of Pfizer’s culture, promulgated by opportunities for team members to share their knowledge — and earn recognition for it. MacKenzie shared that team members can perform research with external partners through the company’s Breakthrough Accelerator program. Winners can be granted awards to carry their ideas forward. The company also hosts an annual Growth Week, during which employees participate in a series of learning opportunities, such as guest speaker panels, to learn more about new technologies and areas of the business.
Additionally, MacKenzie noted, Pfizer’s annual AI Festival gives team members the skills needed to apply the latest AI advancements to their own work. During the festival, employees get to dive into the nuances of AI applications and speak with representatives from some of the world’s leading AI-focused organizations. All in all, the event gives team members the chance to refine their skill sets and network with others in the process.
“Pfizer is an enormous organization with about 80,000 people, so a lot of time, there’s work going on in other parts of the organization you don’t even know about,” MacKenzie said. “It’s a wonderful way to kind of connect both in person and virtually.”
In many ways, Pfizer offers a space for researchers and technologists to reach their full potential. As team members expand their own understanding of the industry’s latest advancements, they get to apply this newfound knowledge to their work, enabling them to accomplish work with the potential to change the world.
For MacKenzie, Pfizer’s continued use of AI signals the start of a major transformation — and he can’t wait to see it for himself.
“I believe that very quickly, we’re going to see some tremendous changes in almost every way the business operates moving forward, and it’s really exciting,” he said. “I’m hyper-optimistic about the impact it could have not just on Pfizer but on global health.”
