Recursion gets FDA approval to begin phase 1 trials of AI-discovered cancer treatment
AI-Driven Drug Discovery Achieves Milestone #
A pharmaceutical company specializing in AI-driven drug discovery has announced a significant milestone in its development process. The company successfully used its artificial intelligence platform to identify a biological target for treating solid tumors and lymphoma, develop a drug candidate, and obtain regulatory approval to begin studies - all within a timeframe of less than 18 months.
This achievement is seen as an important proof of concept for both the company and the broader techbio industry. The regulatory body has cleared the investigational new drug application for a phase 1/2 clinical trial of the experimental drug candidate. The potential market for this treatment could exceed 100,000 patients in the United States and European Union.
The upcoming trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of the drug candidate, with the study set to commence in the fourth quarter of this year. Phase 1 data from the dose-escalation portion of the study is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The drug targets a specific protein that appears functionally similar to a well-known but challenging target for treating advanced HR-proficient cancers, including ovarian, prostate, breast, and pancreatic cancers.
The company’s approach leverages massive datasets built over more than a decade, allowing for a “Google-search equivalent” of biology to identify novel targets and molecules. This program represents the first to fully utilize the new tools developed by the company.
The pharmaceutical industry is hopeful that artificial intelligence can significantly accelerate drug discovery and reduce costs by eliminating some of the time-consuming trial-and-error processes in screening and selecting drug candidates. However, investors are eager to see concrete results that demonstrate the technology’s ability to live up to expectations.