Insilico Medicine aims to reverse aging and cure cancer — all using AI

New name   B I U S link H1 H2 H3 list 1. x2 x2 page image code pre HTML center hr table note notes desc ▲ ▼	Show page  Syntax
{html} <article class="wiki-blog-post"> <header class="article-header"> <div class="article-meta"> <span class="author">By Shin Ha-nee</span> <span class="publication-date">Published: February 21, 2024</span> </div> </header> <div class="article-content"> <p><strong>SAN FRANCISCO</strong> — While generative AI is being hailed as a game-changer as it sweeps the globe, the concept of “in silico medicine,” or computational medicine, is not exactly a new one. AI has been driving breakthroughs in the pharmaceutical industry for some time. But a make-or-break question looms large over these AI-driven drug discovery companies; will they ever be able to bring a tangible, market-ready drug to the world?</p> <p>At the forefront of this increasingly narrowing race runs Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong- and New York-based AI drug development startup. The company is holding the pole position, having developed the world's first fully AI-built drug to enter human clinical trials.</p> <blockquote> <p>“The industry has clearly changed in our field,”</p> <footer>— Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine</footer> </blockquote> <p>Noted Alex Zhavoronkov during an interview with the <em>Korea JoongAng Daily</em> on the sidelines of the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in early January in San Francisco, California.</p> <p>The Latvian Canadian scientist, a pioneering figure in generative biology and aging research, found that “AI became a much more serious discussion topic” during this year's conference. “You see major industry consolidation in AI,” he said.</p> <h2>Milestones in AI Drug Discovery</h2> <p>Insilico Medicine has raised $400 million since its founding in 2014. Its <strong>INS018_055</strong>, a chronic lung disease treatment candidate, has been undergoing phase 2 clinical trials in China and the United States since June of last year.</p> <p>It is the world's first-ever small-molecule drug candidate built by AI from the very beginning to enter a clinical trial on human patients, meaning that generative AI technology discovered and designed the molecule from scratch.</p> <p>Insilico utilizes its AI models in disease target identification, the generation of novel molecule data, and predicting the results of clinical trials. The company had some 30 pipelines under development as of this January.</p> <h2>The Post-Hype Reality</h2> <p>While ChatGPT's splashy debut has triggered a global tech race for large-scale generative AI models, generative AI is not a new concept. Zhavoronkov presented on stage at the Korea Future Forum in 2017, arguing that the technology would be the next “big thing,” during one of his many visits to the country over the past few years. Audiences back then barely bat an eye.</p> <p>Fast-forward to 2024. Generative AI is, indeed, changing the world — and deeper below the surface, the AI-driven biotech industry has already gone through a relatively quiet restructuring.</p> <p>The market has contracted “from 1,000 companies out there to maybe four or five,” in Zhavoronkov's estimate. “So a lot of companies just died or became very quiet, because what matters now is how many drugs you produce using your AI platform.”</p> <p>What makes an AI drug discovery company successful, therefore, often boils down to a single question: <em>“Where is your pipeline?”</em></p> <p>“Investors will say, 'Show me the future — in the next, let's say, four or five years, are you going to develop a drug?'” said the CEO. “And if you fail to get into human clinical trials, pharmaceutical companies do not believe you anymore; they don't believe that this AI is real.”</p> <h2>Validation and Leadership</h2> <p>Zhavoronkov stressed that AI in the pharmaceutical industry is different from those of other fields because “in drug discovery, AI cannot be tested using human intelligence.” Other industries that leverage AI can validate the technology comparatively easily and quickly. In the biopharmaceutical sector, the basic validation of a model can take at least six months and half a million dollars.</p> <p>Major pharma players have begun to pay even bigger attention to Insilico Medicine with its phase 2 clinical asset, the CEO noted:</p> <ul> <li>Announced a potentially $500 million global exclusive license agreement for a breast cancer treatment candidate with <strong>Menarini Group</strong> on Jan. 4.</li> <li>Out-licensed its cancer treatment with an upfront of $80 million to <strong>Exelixis</strong> last September.</li> </ul> <p>The firm came out on the other end due to its dual-pronged management team spearheaded by two co-CEOs. While Zhavoronkov is in charge of AI, drug discovery is handled by <strong>Feng Ren</strong>, the co-CEO and chief scientific officer with a background in chemistry and small molecule drug development.</p> <p>“I think the ideal pilot for a company that does AI drug discovery is somebody who came from pharma into a contract research organization... and who has the capability to build a testing vehicle and bridge this discovery capability with AI with the ability to validate,” he said.</p> <h2>Global Expansion and Future Horizons</h2> <p>Addressing potential geopolitical volatility rooted in U.S.-China decoupling concerns, Zhavoronkov expressed confidence in the industry's relative resilience:</p> <blockquote> <p>“I don't think geopolitics will touch us as much because I think biotechnology is the last straw that keeps the world together.”</p> </blockquote> <p>Insilico Medicine operates across multiple global hubs to mitigate risks, including:</p> <ul> <li>Headquarters in <strong>Hong Kong</strong> and <strong>New York City</strong></li> <li>Operations in <strong>Baltimore</strong>, <strong>Montreal</strong>, <strong>Shanghai</strong>, <strong>Suzhou</strong>, and <strong>Abu Dhabi</strong></li> </ul> <p>In January, Insilico opened an AI-driven, fully automated robotics laboratory in Suzhou, and in February switched on the <strong>Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Center in Abu Dhabi</strong>—the largest AI-powered biotech research center in the Middle East. By 2024, the company is making strides on the first quantum computer-generated drug molecules.</p> <h2>The Ultimate Mission: Reversing Aging</h2> <p>Beyond cancer, Zhavoronkov's ultimate goal is to <strong>“find algorithms that will help you reverse aging.”</strong></p> <p>“We actually go after aging as a disease,” said Zhavoronkov, adding that AI is a great tool for tracking physiological and psychological changes over time, potentially providing insights into the general biology of aging and disease development until death.</p> <p>Just like how Apple's iPhone became globally accessible, Zhavoronkov believes that biotechnology to reverse aging will eventually become accessible to a wider population, making the world significantly better.</p> </div> </article> {/html}
Password  Summary of changes

 📜 ⏱️ ⬆️