Latest news: AI in pharma

Gilead Sciences has announced a strategic partnership with Genesis Therapeutics, aimed at using AI to discover and develop new small molecule therapies. 

The deal will utilise the advanced AI technologies of Genesis to generate therapeutic candidates for targets chosen by Gilead. 

Genesis’ field-leading AI platform, Genesis Exploration of Molecular Space (GEMS) will be used in the partnership to aid in creating and streamlining molecules for the Gilead-chosen targets. 

The collaboration will focus on preclinical research, with Gilead holding sole rights for the clinical development and potential commercialisation of the compounds developed. 

Gilead Sciences Research executive vice-president Flavius Martin stated: “The use of generative AI in drug development, enabled by people, science and other new technology, has shown potential to accelerate the discovery of molecules for challenging targets. 

“We look forward to working with Genesis to apply their AI platform to discover and advance novel therapies that may address significant unmet patient needs.” 

Genesis is entitled to receive $35m in upfront payment for three targets, with options for Gilead to nominate additional targets for a fee. 

Genesis also stands to gain further financial rewards through preclinical, development, regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as royalty payments on net product sales. 

Genesis founder and CEO Evan Feinberg stated: “Many promising protein targets have a paucity of relevant training data, which makes it difficult to apply off-the-shelf machine learning methods. 

"We have designed our physical AI platform to address this issue and enable drug discovery campaigns for difficult targets. Genesis is thrilled to combine our expertise in generative AI and drug discovery with Gilead’s deeply experienced research and development teams, with the shared goal of creating breakthrough therapies for patients.” 

Genesis had previously secured more than $300m in funding to create a pipeline, targeting high-impact medical conditions. 

The latest development comes after Gilead partnered with PANTHERx Rare to distribute LIVDELZI, a treatment for adults with primary biliary cholangitis.

AI drug discovery company Syntekabio has partnered with Ukraine-based global compound supplier Enamine for supply, synthesis of compounds and synthetic drug development. 

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the companies, the alliance will leverage an extensive synthetic compound library provided by Enamine to support drug candidate discovery services through Syntekabio's AI platform, DeepMatcher. 

Syntekabio and Enamine will work at the AI Bio Supercomputer Center (ABS Center) in Daejeon, South Korea. 

Their aim is to derive optimised lead compounds for drug development, combining Syntekabio's AI capabilities with Enamine's chemical synthesis and preclinical biology services. 

The companies also plan joint marketing to accelerate their expansion in the global market for AI-driven drug discovery services. 

Enamine is growing its global presence with branches in the US, Germany and Poland. 

Its comprehensive services include in vitro efficacy verification, binding assays and ADMET [absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity] screening. 

Enamine will apply its knowledge in chemical, custom synthesis and preclinical biology services to work with Syntekabio on therapeutic optimisation and extraction of lead compounds utilising the AI-based molecular design technology of Syntekabio. 

Syntekabio is also conducting bio-drug research using its NEO-ARS and Ab-ARS services. 

NEO-ARS is a personal and shared neoantigen prediction service. Ab-ARS focuses on new antibody discovery and optimisation research. 

Enamine business development director Dr Iaroslava Kos stated: “We are excited to collaborate with Syntekabio to integrate our extensive compound library with their advanced AI platform. 

“This partnership aims to accelerate the discovery of optimised lead compounds, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of drug development. By combining our strengths, we look forward to making significant advancements in the field of synthetic drug development.”

Belgian biotech Rejuvenate Biomed has teamed up with data and AI solutions company SAS to create a tool for researchers to repurpose existing drugs to tackle age-related diseases at their core. 

The low-code tool aims to simplify the process of analysing biomedical data. It will use SAS’s analytics to reveal hidden biological patterns and interactions, allowing researchers to create detailed reports with SAS visual analytics. The tool will be built on SAS Viya, a cloud-based AI and data platform. 

According to the companies, the tool is designed to be user-friendly for researchers who don’t have a wealth of coding experience but will also be powerful enough for advanced teams working on complex biological problems. 

Founded in 2017, Rejuvenate raised €15.7m ($16.9m) in a Series B round led by Zürich-based biotech Rejuveron Life Sciences in 2021. The funds built on a €3.2m ($3.46m) Series A in the same year. 

The start-up has five assets under its belt, developed using its CombinAge and CelegAge drug delivery platforms. Its flagship drug, RJx-01, is ready for Phase II testing and has shown promise in a Phase I trial for the treatment of sarcopenia, otherwise known as muscle loss. 

Rejuvenates CEO Ann Beliën said: “Our partnership with SAS amplifies the core strengths of both our R&D teams. By embracing this partnership and leveraging the capabilities of SAS Viya, we expect to meaningfully de-risk and accelerate the development of our internal portfolio while enhancing our discovery platform and partnering capabilities.” 

As people live longer and the ageing population grows, more innovators are entering the field with AI-based solutions. A June 2024 study published in Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence introduced a novel deep neural network (DNN) model with an effective algorithm for the early diagnosis and intervention of osteoporosis, a common metabolic brain disorder in the elderly. 

It’s not only in the treatment space where AI is being utilised. Professionals in the field have emphasised how the use of generative AI, large language models (LLMs), and robotics can be used to inform and educate people about healthcare needs from an early stage, to ensure optimal ageing and ultimately improve well-being as they enter old age. 

According to a report on GlobalData’s Medical Intelligence Center, the AI in the medical market was worth $336m in 2022 and is expected to grow to $1.2 bn by 2027. 

GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology.

CytoReason has secured $80m in funding from a consortium of investors to enhance its AI disease models. 

The investors are OurCrowd, NVIDIA, Pfizer and Thermo Fisher Scientific. 

The funding will aid in expanding CytoReason’s disease models into additional indications and growing its molecular and clinical data. 

Supported by the investment, the company also aims to open a new US hub in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the second half of 2024 in a bid to strengthen its presence. 

Low research and development (R&D) timelines and enhanced probability of technical and regulatory success (PTRS) are crucial for life sciences companies. 

CytoReason’s AI tools and insights at the molecular level assist therapeutic area leaders in making informed decisions, thus enhancing Phase II success rates and streamlining R&D portfolios. 

The new investment will also aid CytoReason in accelerating its growth and solidifying its market position. 

This approach will allow more pharmaceutical and biotech companies to increase the speed and precision of asset development across therapeutic areas, ultimately benefiting a wider patient population globally. 

CytoReason co-founder and CEO David Harel stated: “CytoReason is grateful for this infusion of new capital from industry technology powerhouses such as NVIDIA, Pfizer and Thermo Fisher. 

“The world understands that data alone is not enough, and that the future of data-driven insights is in data modelling. CytoReason is at the forefront of this revolution in pharma R&D.” 

Following the expanded partnership with Pfizer in 2022, CytoReason forged three pharma partnerships, broadened its disease model coverage to include central nervous system-related diseases, and collaborated with various data organisations. 

Pfizer worldwide research development and medical president and chief scientific officer Mikael Dolsten stated: “The rapid expansion of new technologies, like artificial intelligence, holds tremendous potential to help transform what is possible in human health. 

“Our collaboration with CytoReason leverages its cutting-edge immunology multiomics platform to augment Pfizer’s own R&D capabilities and generate invaluable insights into new drug development pathways for patients.”