The first "assault" of artificial intelligence in the medical field has an official name: INS018_055. This unprecedented drug, straight out of the cauldron of Insilico medicine, has just successfully passed Phase 1 of clinical trials and is preparing to enter Phase 2. Well yes, a piece of computer code has given birth to a drug, a potential bulwark against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that undermines the lives of many, too many patients.
AI grappling with the delicate mechanism of drug discovery
"Creating a new drug is a bit like solving a puzzle," he says alex zhavoronkov, the CEO of Insilico Medicine. First of all, an attempt is made to identify a "target", or rather a biological mechanism which, by functioning incorrectly, contributes to the onset of the disease. Subsequently, a molecule capable of interacting with this target is developed, blocking the progression of the disease and limiting the damage to the patient as much as possible. But AI is ready to change the rules of the game.
How artificial intelligence revolutionizes drug research
Think of AI as a hardworking and insightful investigator. A bloodhound capable of analyzing an unimaginable amount of data for a human being and of finding elusive connections. In this case, Insilico used AI to discover a new weakness in pulmonary fibrosis, and to generate a molecule capable of hitting that weak point hard.
He did it mainly with two main tools: PandaOmics, to identify disease-causing targets by analyzing clinical and scientific data, e Chemistry42which generates new molecules. 'Essentially, our scientists gave Chemistry42 the specific characteristics they were looking for,' says Zhavoronkov, 'and the system generated a set of possible molecules, ranked according to their probability of success.'
The result? INS018_055, 55th candidate in the series of generated molecules: the one that showed the most promising activity.
Pulmonary fibrosis, the perspective of a new hope from the "AI drug".
Current treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pirfenidone e nintedanibThey can slow the worsening of symptoms, but they won't reverse the damage or stop the progression of the disease. In addition, they have unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, diarrhea, weight loss and appetite. The prospect of a more effective and tolerable drug such as INS018_055 therefore represents a glimmer of hope for these patients.
"If our preliminary studies hold up, INS018_055 will break down some of the limitations of current therapies," says Zhavoronkov.
INS018_055, next steps in experimentation
If the Phase 2 clinical trial is successful, the drug will move to Phase 2b, with a larger sample size of participants. The final goal, of course, will be the drug's approval and marketing. At the moment, one of the main challenges will be to recruit patients, especially for a rare disease such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Despite the difficulties, the research team is optimistic that in the coming years this drug will be ready to reach the market and the patients who could benefit from it. And maybe from then on we'll start to be a little less afraid of artificial intelligence, or at least to carefully weigh risks and opportunities.
