World first as drug developed using AI enters clinical trials
The first ever drug to be generated using artificial intelligence (AI) has now entered clinical trials in Japan.
The drug - known as DSP-1181 - was created by Japanese pharmaceutical firm Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma and UK-based AI company Exscientia.
It is intended to treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and is being progressed through a phase I clinical study. DSP-1181 is a long-acting and potent serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist which will now be added to Sumitomo’s development pipeline.
The project has been particularly heralded for the speed it took to complete – taking just 12 months when compared to the typical five years it takes drug companies to complete the research phase. For instance, the candidate compound for the drug was found within 350 synthesised compounds, compared to the usual 2,500 compounds it takes drug companies to discover a novel compound.
Toru Kimura, board of Directors, senior executive officer and senior executive research director of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, said: "We are very excited with the results of the joint research that resulted in the development of candidate compounds in a very short time. Exscientia's sophisticated AI drug discovery technologies combined with our company’s deep experience in monoamine GPCR drug discovery, allowed us to work synergistically, delivering a highly successful outcome. We will continue to work hard to make this clinical study a success so that it may deliver new benefits to patients as soon as possible."
Andrew Hopkins, CEO of Exscientia, said: "We believe that this entry of DSP-1181, created using AI, into clinical studies is a key milestone in drug discovery. This project’s rapid success was through strong alignment of the integrated knowledge and experiences in chemistry and pharmacology on monoamine GPCR drug discovery at Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma with our AI technologies. We are proud that our AI drug discovery platform Centaur Chemist has contributed to generate DSP-1181 and look forward to its progression as a treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder."