World’s First AI-Generated Medicine Begins Clinical Trials
This week, clinical trials have commenced for the world’s first medicine that has been fully created by artificial intelligence (AI). Developed by the Hong Kong Biotechnology company Insilico Medicine, the medicine, known as INS018_055, aims to treat idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis (IPF), a chronic lung disease causing lung scarring. With an increase in the frequency of this condition in recent decades, approximately 100,000 people in the United States are currently affected and face a potential two to five-year life expectancy without treatment.
“This marks the first AI-generated medicine to enter human clinical trials, specifically phase II testing with patients,” stated Alex Zhavoronkov, the founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine. “Our innovative medicine is the first of its kind, utilizing AI in its creation and design.”
The company also mentioned that they have two other medicines in the clinical testing stage, both partially developed using AI. One is a cure for COVID-19 in its phase I trial, while the other is a USP1 inhibitor designed to treat solid tumors, which recently received FDA approval to begin clinical trials for cancer treatment.
The ongoing study for the IPF medicine consists of a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled test that will span 12 weeks in China. Insilico plans to expand the test group to 60 sites across 40 locations in the United States and China. If the phase II trial proves successful, further studies will be conducted with larger participant cohorts, potentially leading to phase III testing involving hundreds of participants.
“We anticipate receiving the results from the current phase II test next year,” Zhavoronkov commented. He acknowledged the challenge of predicting exact timelines for future phases, particularly due to the rarity of the disease and the specific criteria patients must meet. However, he expressed optimism, stating, “We believe this medicine will be ready for market entry and reach patients who can benefit from it within the next few years.”
Source: CNBC