AI in Medical Field: Hong Kong Company Takes First AI-Generated Drug Candidate To Clinic Targeting Chronic Lung Disease

Insilico Medicine, a biotechnology company based in Hong Kong, has initiated a 12-week Phase 2 clinical trial for the first-ever drug created by artificial intelligence, INS018_055 targeting idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a type of chronic lung disease.

The drug, taken orally, underwent the same testing for safety and efficacy as traditionally discovered drugs, as per Insilico Medicine's CEO Alex Zhavoronkov.

Using conventional approaches would have resulted in expenses exceeding $400 million and a timeline stretching to approximately six years. However, by leveraging generative AI, Insilico achieved the same outcomes at just 10% of the cost and a third of the time.

The process for a new drug includes finding a disease-causing biological mechanism (target), creating a drug to block disease progression, conducting studies in animals and humans, and gaining regulatory approval.

Artificial intelligence aids in analyzing large data volumes, finding connections overlooked by humans, and envisioning new molecules that can be made into drugs.

Insilico used AI to identify a new IPF target and create a new molecule to interact with that target.

The company used PandaOmics to identify disease-causing targets and Chemistry42 to design new molecules.

The selected molecule, INS018_055, was chosen due to its promising activity.

Current treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis do not reverse damage or halt the progression and often cause unpleasant side effects. INS018_055 could potentially address the limitations of current treatments, Fox News reported citing the company's CEO.

Following a successful Phase 2a study, the drug will move to Phase 2b with a larger participant group.

The report notes that recruiting patients is a significant challenge in these trials, but the research team remains optimistic about bringing the drug to the market within the next few years.