Phase 2 clinical trials for the first-ever drug created by artificial intelligence have begun, and the first drug was successfully given to a patient. It is being studied to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a rare, degenerative chronic lung disease. The medication is currently known as INS018_055. Participants with IPF diagnoses will participate in the 12-week experiment.
According to the CEO of Insilico Medicine, Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., “This drug, which will be administered orally, will go through the same stringent tests to guarantee its safety and efficacy, like generally discovered drugs, but the methods of its discovery as well as design are incredibly new.”
However, it was developed more quickly than conventional medications thanks to the most recent developments in artificial intelligence. Fox News Reported that A biological process that causes the disease must first be identified by scientists, generally since it is not operating as it should, he said. To stop the development of the disease while endangering the patient, a novel medicine for that target must be developed.
Conducting investigations, initially on animals, then on healthy human volunteers for clinical trials, and eventually on actual patients, is the third phase. The fourth and final phase for a drug is regulatory agency permission for usage as a treatment for an illness, according to Zhavoronkov. “If the tests indicate that it is effective in helping patients, the medication reaches its fourth and final step,” he said.
He explained that under the conventional method, researchers search public health databases and scientific literature for pathways or genes associated with diseases to identify targets. According to Zhavoronkov, “AI allows us to analyze enormous amounts of data, identify correlations that human scientists might overlook, and then “imagine” whole new compounds that might be converted into medicines.
In this instance, Insilico employed AI to identify a new target for IPF and then produce a new molecule that might interact with that target. The business employs PandaOmics to analyze scientific data from clinical trials and public databases to find disease-causing targets. Once the target had been identified, researchers entered it into Chemistry42, another Insilico tool that uses generative AI to create new chemicals.
According to Zhavoronkov, “Our scientists gave Chemistry42 the precise characteristics they were looking for, and the system generated a series of possible molecules, ranked by their chances of success.” According to him, the chosen molecule, INS018_055, was the 55th in the sequence and displayed the most promising action. Pirfenidone and nintedanib are the current treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Zhavoronkov added that although these medications might offer some respite or lessen the severity of symptoms, they do not undo the harm or stop the progression. Additionally, they have adverse side effects, the most notable of which are nausea, diarrhea, weight loss, and loss of appetite. Zhavoronkov said, “There are relatively few options for patients with this dreadful ailment, and the prognosis is terrible – most will pass away within two to five years of diagnosis. INS018_055 may be able to solve some of the drawbacks of existing treatments, according to preliminary investigations.
