Q&A: How Insilico Medicine’s AI identified a new IPF drug target in record time

Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a devastating lung disease affecting millions with increasing incidence, may have a new treatment hope thanks to a novel inhibitor of TNIK, a kinase newly implicated in fibrosis, identified using generative AI drug discovery platforms in just 18 months.

Researchers at Insilico Medicine, along with international collaborators, harnessed the power of AI platforms PandaOmics and Chemistry42 to make a breakthrough discovery. Nature Biotechnology recently published the group’s findings, showcase the potential of AI to accelerate drug discovery. The scientists identified TNIK as a promising therapeutic target for fibrotic diseases and developed INS018_055, a potent TNIK inhibitor. Preclinical models demonstrated INS018_055’s superior anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects compared to current treatments.

Beyond fibrotic diseas…
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Insilico Medicine taps AI to nominate small molecule inhibitor ISM9274 as a preclinical cancer therapy

Clinical-stage AI company Insilico Medicine has nominated a novel small molecule inhibitor known as ISM9274 as a preclinical candidate for cancer treatment.

The company used its PandaOmics AI platform to analyze genomic data from more than 90 tumor types and identified CDK12 as a promising target for multiple cancers including triple-negative breast cancer, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

Next, it used its AI drug discovery engine Chemistry42 to design ISM9274 to selectively inhibit CDK12 and CDK13. Preclinical studies showed ISM9274 demonstrated potent antiproliferative activity across 60 cancer cell lines representing 13 tumor types. It also showed efficacy in animal models as both monotherapy and in combination with other therapies.

“Our target discovery philosophy is to find an optimal balance between commercial tractability, novelty and confidence,” said Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine.

The company’s AI platfo…

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