Category: AI in healthcare

AI-developed drug breakthrough. With Alex Zhavoronkov

AI-developed drug breakthrough. With Alex Zhavoronkov

Healthcare is one of the sectors likely to see the greatest benefits from the application of advanced AI. A number of companies are now using AI to develop drugs faster, cheaper, and with fewer failures along the way. One of the leading members of this group is Insilico Medicine, which has just announced the first AI-developed drug to enter phase 2 clinical trials. Alex Zhavoronkov, co-founder of Insilico Medicine, joined the London Futurists Podcast to explain the significance of this achievement. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis The drug in question is designed to tackle Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, or IPF. “Fibrosis” means thickening...
Evomics deploys AI and nuclear medicine in the fight against cancer

Evomics deploys AI and nuclear medicine in the fight against cancer

AI and nuclear medicine Some of the most innovative uses of artificial intelligence in healthcare today are in the field of nuclear medicine, and thanks to AI, nuclear medicine is demonstrating great potential for cancer treatment. There are around 20 million new cancer cases a year, and around 10 million deaths, which is around one in six of all deaths. The problem, and therefore the opportunity, is vast. One of the leading companies in the field is Evomics, based in Shanghai and Vienna. It is using the same technology to develop both diagnostics and therapies, and it has ambitious plans...
How Insilico Medicine uses AI to accelerate drug development

How Insilico Medicine uses AI to accelerate drug development

Within the longevity research community, Alex Zhavoronkov is well-known for his relentless focus. He works seven days a week and takes no holidays. The hard work is paying off: In February, Insilico Medicine, the AI drug development company he founded, announced the first phase 1 clinical trials for a wholly AI-developed drug. Following a series of investment rounds in the rest of the year, the company is now well-funded, and its software is widely used in the pharma industry. Alex explains the company’s progress in the latest episode of the London Futurist Podcast. Three phases of drug development Drug development...
Biotech firm puts R2D2 to work in lab

Biotech firm puts R2D2 to work in lab

Applying AI to drug development Drug development is a time-consuming and expensive business. Notoriously, it takes over 10 years and costs around $2 billion to bring one drug to market — and around 90% of candidate drugs fail during human trials. And the situation is getting worse. Eroom’s Law (Moore’s Law in reverse) is the observation that the cost of developing a new drug doubles roughly every nine years. The most promising solution to this problem is applying artificial intelligence to the process. A number of companies are pursuing this, and one of the leaders is Insilico Medicine, which announced...