A UAE-backed biotech firm has begun testing a drug “discovered and designed” using artificial intelligence on patients.
Based in Hong Kong with an R&D center in Abu Dhabi, Insilico Medicine is leveraging advanced technology to develop medicines for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that causes scarring and difficulty breathing in the lungs. developed.
The company announced this week that it has completed the first dose of the drug as part of a Phase 2 trial and plans to recruit an additional 60 study participants at sites in the United States and China.
The 12-week trial aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of an oral delivery drug called INS018_055, the company said.
“With its demonstrated potential against both fibrosis and inflammation, INS018_055 could provide a new option for patients around the world,” said Feng Ren, chief scientific officer at Insilico Medicine.
“Achieving the first dose of INS018_055 in a Phase II clinical trial is not only an important step for Insilico, but also a milestone for AI-driven drug discovery and development.
“Together, we look forward to more achievements in AI-powered unmet medical needs around the world.”
Dr. Alex Zaboronkov, founder and co-CEO of the health tech company, believes the progress so far highlights the potential of AI-powered drug development.
“When we started developing generative AI for drug discovery, we never expected the clinical and preclinical results we have today,” he said.
“The initiation of a Phase II trial with this new IPF inhibitor marks a major milestone for deep generative reinforcement learning in drug discovery.
“We will investigate the efficacy of AI-discovered and designed treatments in clinical trials for patients. This is a true validation of our generative AI platform. We are passionate about advancing InClass therapeutics, helping patients in need, and demonstrating the value of generative AI in drug discovery and development.”
The cause is unknown, but it usually affects people over the age of 70 and is rare in people under the age of 50.
Although many existing treatments can reduce the impact on patients, there is currently no way to prevent or reverse lung scarring.
How can AI enhance patient care?
Drug discovery has long been a laborious and costly process, with preclinical stages often taking years and costing hundreds of millions of dollars to complete. AI tools are increasingly being used to streamline processes, providing a potential lifeline to patients around the world.
AI can be trained to search massive datasets to better understand diseases and what genes and proteins can be used to combat them.
The technology can also be deployed to perform drug simulations, predict outcomes, and support critical drug design efforts.
United Arab Emirates support
Insilico Medicine opened its Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Center in February at the International Renewable Energy Agency headquarters in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.
At the time, Insilico president Alex Alipar said, “With its prime location, strong and stable economy, developed infrastructure and highly educated workforce, Abu Dhabi has become an emerging hub attracting high-tech companies from around the world. there are,” he said.
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Updated: Jul 02, 2023 9:17 AM
