Insilico Medicine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Insilico Medicine
TypePrivate
IndustryBiotechnology
Founded2014 (2014)[1]
Founder [ru]
HeadquartersScience Park,
Hong Kong
Area served
Artificial intelligence, deep learning
Key people
Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Feng Ren, PhD, Alex Aliper, PhD, Jimmy Lin, PhD, Quentin Vanhaelen, PhD
ServicesDrug discovery
Websiteinsilico.com

Insilico Medicine is a biotechnology company based in Pak Shek Kok, Hong Kong in Hong Kong Science Park near the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The company combines genomics, big data analysis, and deep learning for in silico drug discovery.[2][3][4]

History[]

CEO Alex Zhavoronkov founded Insilico Medicine in 2014, as an alternative to animal testing for research and development programs in the pharmaceutical industry. By using artificial intelligence and deep-learning techniques, Insilico is able to analyze how a compound will affect cells and what drugs can be used to treat the cells in addition to possible side effects. Through its Pharma.AI division, the company provides machine learning services to different pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and skin care companies.[5][6] Insilico is known for hiring mainly through hackathons such as their own MolHack online hackathon.[7]

The company has multiple collaborations in the applications of next-generation artificial intelligence technologies such as the generative adversarial networks (GANs) and reinforcement learning to the generation of novel molecular structures with desired properties.[8][9] In conjunction with Alan Aspuru-Guzik's group at Harvard, they have published a journal article about an improved GAN architecture for molecular generation which combines GANs, reinforcement learning, and a differentiable neural computer.[10]

In 2017, Insilico was named one of the Top 5 AI companies by NVIDIA for its potential for social impact.[11] Insilico has R&D resources in Belgium, Russia, and the UK and hires talent through hackathons and other local competitions.[12] In 2017, Insilico had raised $8.26 million in funding from investors including Deep Knowledge Ventures, JHU A-Level Capital,[13] Jim Mellon,[14] and Juvenescence.[1][15][16][17] In 2019 it raised another $37 million from Fidelity Investments, Eight Roads Ventures, Qiming Venture Partners, WuXi AppTec, Baidu, Sinovation, Lilly Asia Ventures, Pavilion Capital, BOLD Capital, and other investors. [18] In 2021 after developing a novel preclinical candidate molecule for a novel target,[19] the company announced a series C $255 megaround [20] from Warburg Pincus, Sequoia Capital, Orbimed, Mirae Asset Financial Group, and over 25 biotechnology, AI, and pharmaceutical investors [21] [22]

Research[]

In 2019, the company in partnership with researchers at the University of Toronto, used AI to design potential new drugs. One has shown promising initial results when tested in mice.[23][24]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Gantz, Sarah (23 February 2017). "Insilico Medicine raises $10 million". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 16 July 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Insilico Medicine launches a drug discovery platform ALS.AI". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  3. ^ "GlaxoSmithKline taps Baltimore's Insilico for AI-based drug discovery | FierceBiotech". www.fiercebiotech.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  4. ^ "InSilico Medicine Company Profile | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  5. ^ "New partnership uses artificial intelligence methods to develop solutions for preventing early aging". News-Medical.net. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Can artificial intelligence aid human age-reversal?". 12 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  7. ^ "MolHack Hackathon". molhack.com. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  8. ^ Kadurin, Artur; Nikolenko, Sergey; Khrabrov, Kuzma; Aliper, Alex; Zhavoronkov, Alex (5 September 2017). "druGAN: An Advanced Generative Adversarial Autoencoder Model for de Novo Generation of New Molecules with Desired Molecular Properties in Silico". Molecular Pharmaceutics. 14 (9): 3098–3104. doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00346. PMID 28703000.
  9. ^ Cox, Patrick. "Here's How Pharma Is Using AI Deep Learning To Cure Aging". Forbes. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  10. ^ Putin, Evgeny; Asadulaev, Arip; Ivanenkov, Yan; Aladinskiy, Vladimir; Sanchez-Lengeling, Benjamin; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán; Zhavoronkov, Alex (15 May 2018). "Reinforced Adversarial Neural Computer for Molecular Design". Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling. 58 (6): 1194–1204. doi:10.1021/acs.jcim.7b00690. PMID 29762023.
  11. ^ "Nvidia identifies the top 5 AI startups for social impact". VentureBeat. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  12. ^ "AgeHack@MLBootCamp: The first Eurasian hackathon on AI for longevity to launch". Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  13. ^ "JHU alumni-run A-Level Capital to support AI-powered drug discovery at Insilico Medicine". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Billionaire Jim Mellon invests in anti-ageing research firm - Pharmaphorum". Pharmaphorum. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  15. ^ "AI Is Helping This Anti-Aging Startup Uncover Ways for You to Live a Longer, Healthier Life". Futurism. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Insilico, Juvenescence joint venture to develop AI-discovered molecules into new drugs". Outsourcing-Pharma.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Insilico Medicine signs deal to advance use of AI in discovering new drugs - Technical.ly Baltimore". Technical.ly Baltimore. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Insilico raises $37M with plans to bring its AI to more drug discovery partnerships". Fierce Biotech. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Breaking Big Pharma's AI barrier: Insilico Medicine uncovers novel target, new drug for pulmonary fibrosis in 18 months - Fierce Biotech". Fierce Biotechnology. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 23 Jul 2021.
  20. ^ "With a new $255M megaround in hand, Alex Zhavoronkov has big plans for Insilico. Are they feasible? - Endpoints". Endpoints. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 23 Jul 2021.
  21. ^ "AI drug discovery platform Insilico Medicine announces $255 million in Series C funding - Techcrunch San Francisco". Techcrunch San Francisco. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 23 Jul 2021.
  22. ^ "AI drug discovery start-up Insilico raises more than $255m - Financial Times London". Financial Times London. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 23 Jul 2021.
  23. ^ "An AI system identified a potential new drug in just 46 days". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  24. ^ Knapp, Alex. "This Startup Used AI To Design A Drug In 21 Days". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
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