New AI Model Shortens Drug Discovery to Days, Not Years

Biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life sciences industries are where applied artificial intelligence (AI) can greatly accelerate innovation and shorten the product development life-cycle. Developing a drug typically takes 10 to 15 years on average, with only approximately 12 percent of drugs in clinical trials ultimately gaining U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. In an AI milestone in life sciences, Insilico Medicine announced a new machine learning tool for drug discovery that can generate a novel molecule in days instead of years and published their findings in Nature Biotechnology on September 2, 2019. Insilico Medicine is a venture-backed start-up with multiple investors that include WuXi AppTec, Juvenescence, Peter Diamandis' BOLD Capital Partners, and Pavilion Capital. Led by CEO and Founder Alex Zhavoronkov, the company's mission is to extend longevity by applied AI solutions for drug discovery and aging research.