Here are some news you AI geeks might fancy. No, I am not talking about some AI shitcoin to gamble invest your money.
More like an actual use case. And a first of its kind, with many more probably coming soon
For the first time we have a fully A.I.-generated drug entering human clinical trials.
The drug is developed by Insilico Medicine and is in development since 2020, although the company has been working on the whole AI drugs concept since 2016.
Codenamed as INS018_055, it's intended use is for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis:
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a serious chronic (long term) disease that affects the tissue surrounding the air sacs, or alveoli, in the lungs. This condition develops when that lung tissue becomes thick and stiff for unknown reasons. source
Apparently, there is a steady rise of the condition, which currently affects about 100,000 people in the U.S alone. The condition is deadly, typically in 2 to 5 years..
At the moment the trial is taking place in China with plans to expand testing sites in the U.S too. The first results from humans are expected sometime next year:
After completing Phase 0 and Phase I human safety studies, INS018_055, Insilico’s AI-discovered and AI-generated drug, has entered multi-regional Phase II clinical trials in the U.S and China. source
We expect to have results from the current Phase II trial next year. We are optimistic that this drug will be ready for market, and reach patients who may benefit from it, in the next few years." source
I have been keeping an eye some of the latest AI publications, and there have been quite a few drugs that have been "developed". It's good to see one actually being tried on humans and hopefully there will be some solid results.
Unfortunately, with all the safety protocols and shit, cost is a really prohibiting factor when it comes to developing new drugs let alone hitting the mainstream markets, especially when it comes to conditions like this one that have a small market!
Don't get me wrong. AI shitcoins are fun but actually saving or improving human lives with some AI help sounds dope too!
If you want to learn more about the company and the drug just click here to read the official press release.