Insilico Medicine(“Insilico”), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, has successfully delivered the second preclinical candidate compound (PCC) in its collaboration with Fosun Pharma in June 2024, a potential innovative therapeutic using synthetic lethal strategy for the treatment of solid tumors. Insilico expects to submit the pre-IND application for this candidate with the CDE in 2024 Q4.
When initiating the collaboration, Fosun Pharma proposed four targets of interest, and the target of the PCC nominated in this program is one of them and plays a critical role in DNA damage repair mechanisms. Insilico’s R&D team fully analyzed and validated the target through PandaOmics, an AI target identification engine, in combination with Life Star 1, an AI-driven robotics lab. Then, scientists utilized Chemistry42, a generative chemistry engine, to generate and design compounds from scratch for the specified target.
In preclinical studies, the candidate demonstrated good selectivity, robust anti-tumor efficacy as well as promising ADMET properties. The preclinical data of this program has been recognized by Fosun Pharma and meets both parties’ criteria for PCC nomination. Insilico will advance the candidate to the IND-enabling stage and then Fosun Pharma will take over for further research and exploration.
We are delighted to deliver the PCC milestone of this program to Fosun Pharma with the support of Insilico’s proprietary AI platform. Candidates targeting DNA repair mechanisms play an increasingly important role in tumor therapy. I am impressed by our partner’s vision and positive endorsement of AI-driven drug discovery. In partnering with Fosun Pharma, Insilico aims to take AI-driven drug discovery to the next level for the benefit of patients worldwide.”
Feng Ren, PhD, co-CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine
“AI, as a revolutionary tool for discovering innovative drugs, is continuously deepening and expanding its innovation empowerment in the medical field. We are excited to mark the significant milestone of PCC nomination, it’s an innovative therapy potentially treating solid tumors through synthetic lethal strategy. We look forward to achieving more inspiring outcomes in the collaboration with Insilico Medicine,” says Xingli Wang, MD, PhD, CEO of Global R&D Center, and Executive President of Fosun Pharma. “As an innovation-driven pharmaceutical company, Fosun Pharma strives to address unmet medical needs and enhance patient accessibility to safe and effective drugs through continuous innovation and joint efforts with our partners.”
In January 2022, Insilico Medicine announced a strategic collaboration with Fosun Pharma to proceed generative AI-driven drug discovery programs globally. Just one month after the collaboration, Insilico delivered the first PCC for QPCTL program, which is conducting a Phase I clinical trial in China and recently completed the first-in-patient dose for the treatment of advanced malignant tumors.
Founded in 2014, Insilico Medicine is a pioneer in using generative AI for drug discovery and development. Insilico first described the concept of using generative AI for the design of novel molecules in a peer-reviewed journal in 2016, which laid the foundation for the commercially available Pharma.AI platform spanning across biology, chemistry and clinical development. Powered by Pharma.AI, Insilico has nominated 18 preclinical candidates in its comprehensive portfolio of over 30 assets since 2021, and has received IND approval for 7 molecules. Recently, the company published a paper in Nature Biotechnology presenting the entire R&D journey of its lead drug pipeline, INS018_055, from AI algorithms to Phase II clinical trials.
