First fully artificial intelligence drug enters human clinical trial

China has begun clinical trials of its first drug created entirely by artificial intelligence.

Here's What We Know

Hong Kong-based biotech start-up Insilico Medicine has created INS018_055 to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). It is a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs. About 100,000 people in the US are diagnosed with IPF each year. If left untreated, it can lead to death within two to five years.

Development of the new drug began in 2020. According to the developers, INS018_055 is the first AI-generated drug to reach phase II clinical trials in humans.

The current INS018_055 trial is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial being conducted over 12 weeks in China. The company plans to expand the trial population to 60 subjects at 40 sites in the US and China.

If the current phase two study is successful, it will move into another study with a larger cohort and then potentially reach phase three with hundreds of participants.

Results are expected next year.

The company has two other drugs, partly created by AI, that are in trials. One is an anti-Covid-19 drug and the other is a cancer treatment.

Source: CNBC.