Health Strategy . Institute
multidisciplinary institute
for in-person health
and digital health strategy
Joaquim Cardoso MSc
Chief Research and Editor — of the Health Strategy Portal;
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) — of the Health Strategy Institute (HSI),
Senior Advisor — for Boards and C-Level
June 27, 2023
This is an Executive Summary of the article “Biotech begins human trials of drug designed by artificial intelligence”, published on the Financial Times, and authored by Jamie Smyth”
The company said the drug, INS018_055, was the first entirely “AI-discovered and AI designed” drug to begin a phase 2 clinical trial and represented an important milestone for the industry.
Insilico Medicine, a biotech company backed by Fosun Group and Warburg Pincus, has initiated mid-stage human trials for a drug designed using artificial intelligence (AI).
The drug, INS018_055, is aimed at treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease.
This development marks a significant milestone for AI in drug development.
Insilico Medicine aims to revolutionize the industry by doubling the productivity of major pharmaceutical companies through its AI platforms.
By leveraging AI to rapidly identify drug targets and design molecules, Insilico Medicine aims to reduce the time and cost associated with drug discovery and development.
Zhavoronkov said Insilico’s AI platforms could potentially halve the time it took to discover drugs and slash the cost of bringing medicines to market — estimated by Deloitte at $2.3bn on average per therapy.
Zhavoronkov said Insilico’s AI could save two to four years in pre-clinical discovery depending on the novelty and complexity of the target.
The company has already formed partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi, Fosun, and Johnson & Johnson.
Insilico’s approach has led to the selection of 12 pre-clinical drug candidates, with three advancing to clinical trials.
The company’s IPF therapy has demonstrated favorable results in phase 1 trials, supporting the initiation of phase 2 trials involving 60 participants in China and the US.
While the success of AI-discovered drugs is not guaranteed, the industry has shown significant interest and investment in AI technology.
Insilico Medicine, with its dual headquarters in Hong Kong and New York, has raised over $400 million from investors …
… and aims to lead the development of end-to-end AI platforms that span the entire pharmaceutical R&D lifecycle.
To continue reading:
https://www-ft-com.ezp.lib.cam.ac.uk
Names mentioned
- Alex Zhavoronkov: Founder and Chief Executive of Insilico Medicine.
- Feng Ren: Co-Chief and Chief Science Officer at Insilico Medicine.
- Fosun Group: Chinese conglomerate backing Insilico Medicine.
- Warburg Pincus: Private equity giant supporting Insilico Medicine.
- Sanofi: Pharmaceutical company that has signed a partnership deal with Insilico Medicine.
- Johnson & Johnson: Pharmaceutical company that has signed a partnership deal with Insilico Medicine.
- Morgan Stanley: Financial institution that produced a report on the market opportunity for AI in the biotech sector.
- Exscientia: Biotech company that has announced drugs discovered or developed using AI and machine learning tools.
- Verge Genomics: Biotech company that has announced drugs discovered or developed using AI and machine learning tools.
- Recursion Pharmaceuticals: Biotech company that has announced drugs discovered or developed using AI and machine learning tools.
- Benevolent AI: London-based biotech with an AI drug discovery platform.
- Eric Topol: Founder and Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and author of “Deep Medicine,” a book exploring the potential of AI in healthcare.
Brands mentioned
Insilico, Sanofi, Fosun, and Johnson & Johnson.
