Researchers in the UAE have used artificial intelligence to discover a class of drugs that could help to treat blood cancer.
The discovery is the latest AI-powered find from Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company with scientists based in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.
Using the cutting-edge technology could potentially shorten development and research timelines. Currently, nine out of 10 potential drugs that reach human testing fail to become approved medicines.
However, Ahmad Alghaith, an organic chemist at Insilico Medicine, said AI could improve this. “The hope of AI is that it will increase the success rate, reduce time spent and reduce costs,” he told The National.
Insilico Medicine typically takes 12 to 18 months to select a potential drug for further testing before human trials, compared with two and a half to four years using traditional methods.
The company uses two AI platforms in its research. Mr Alghaith said AI accelerated the identification of disease-related target proteins, with PandaOmics AI platform supporting this process. Another AI platform, Chemistry42, then helps to design molecules with the right shape to attach to the chosen protein.
“Traditionally, you would have to design your own molecules, try to fit this with your own designs, but with the help of artificial intelligence, it can make these designs for you,” Mr Alghaith said.
The newly discovered substances are types of PROTACs, double-ended molecules that work differently from conventional drugs. Rather than temporarily binding to a target protein, they drag it to the cell's disposal system and destroy it entirely.
In this case, they target Bruton's tyrosine kinase, a protein that helps malignant cells in blood cancers grow and spread, including in some leukaemias and lymphomas. Details have been published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
Insilico Medicine describes the new PROTACs as “lead compounds”, because tests to determine whether they can enter clinical trials have not been completed.
They are the latest in a series of potential drugs Insilico Medicine plans to announce this year.
In April, the company’s Abu Dhabi researchers said that, with the help of AI, they had discovered a drug that could combat brain cancer. This was the first UAE-discovered drug named as a preclinical candidate for further development towards human trials.
Another AI-discovered drug candidate, a non-opioid molecule that may be able to treat chronic pain, was revealed in July.
Human testing of the drug candidates announced earlier this year may take several years once preclinical work and regulatory approvals are complete.
Mr Alghaith, an Emirati scientist with a master's degree from University College London, said the sector's growth was creating new career opportunities in the UAE.
“When I went into this field, about eight years ago, I had no idea where I was going to work, because this sector was not here in the UAE,” he said.
“This was not an established sector. You can see how quickly things can change. This is the environment the UAE has fostered and also contributed to Insilico’s success.
“Insilico Medicine, and by extension the UAE, is one of the only players in the region originating new medicines.”
Abu Dhabi Investment Office, a government office that manages investments from within and outside the UAE, supported the creation of Insilico Medicine’s UAE operations.
The company has an AI and quantum computing development centre at the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) headquarters in Masdar City.
