First-ever medicine designed and discovered by AI enters human trials
What's the story
A new drug, the first to be designed completely with the help of AI, is now entering into phase 2 clinical trials. This medicine—developed by Hong Kong-based Insilico Medicine—is targeted at a rare chronic lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) which affects millions worldwide. IPF, characterized by progressive lung fibrosis and breathing problems, has no cure as of now.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The recent development marks a significant milestone for the pharma industry. Thanks to AI, scientists are now able to find treatments for conditions that have been claiming lives for years now, and that in itself is a key breakthrough. AI provides a big boost to the drug discovery process, not only making it faster but also more cost-effective.
Testing
Insilico Medicine screened large amounts of medical data using AI
In the initial steps of designing the drug, Insilico Medicine scrutinized vast amounts of medical data to identify the key proteins linked to chronic IPF disease. Then, upon running different algorithms, the company could screen and identify substances that could inhibit the proteins associated with the disease, thereby paving the way for the development of the new drug.
Trial
The upcoming phase 2 clinical trials will include 60 participants
The company has already completed the phase 1 trials of the IPF drug in New Zealand and China with "favorable results." The upcoming phase 2 clinical trials will include 60 participants from across 40 institutions in China and the US. This trial will aim to evaluate the efficacy of the drug and estimate its safety profile.
Information
Insilico Medicine has also discovered 12 candidate drugs
Insilico Medicine specializes in using AI for drug discovery. In fact, the company has discovered 12 potential drugs for several diseases, including breast cancer and liver cancer. Three of these drugs have made it to human clinical trials after the successful completion of animal testing.
Official words
'This is a significant milestone in AI-accelerated drug discovery'
"This first drug candidate that's going to Phase 2 is a true highlight of our end-to-end approach to bridge biology and chemistry with deep learning," said Alex Zhavoronko, the CEO of Insilico Medicine. Zhavoronko called it a significant milestone "in the field of AI-accelerated drug discovery." However, clinical trials can go on for years until the drug's efficacy and safety are fully established.