InSilico Medicine – Saudi Mirror http://www.saudimirror.com News On-line Mon, 15 May 2023 17:34:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3.2 Insilico Medicine Appoints Michael Bayewitch as VP, Business Development and Strategy http://www.saudimirror.com/insilico-medicine-appoints-michael-bayewitch-as-vp-business-development-and-strategy/ Mon, 15 May 2023 17:34:17 +0000 http://www.saudimirror.com/?p=216101 Abu Dhabi, May 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Insilico Medicine, a clinical–stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, has appointed Michael Bayewitch, PhD, as Vice President (VP) of Business Development and Strategy. Based on the U.S. West Coast, Dr. Bayewitch will work closely with Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO, Feng Ren, PhD, Co–CEO and CSO, and Michelle Chen, PhD, Chief Business Officer. He is responsible for driving business development activities and developing attainable operation strategies to support Insilico's continued growth.

Dr. Bayewitch is an accomplished industry veteran with more than 22 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including in due diligence and in/out–licensing transactions, focusing on oncology, autoimmune diseases, and respiratory diseases. Prior to Insilico Medicine, he worked for international mid– and large–size pharmaceutical companies including ITI Life Sciences, Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc., and EOC Pharma, and most recently served as Executive Director of International Business Development for Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, where he performed opportunity identification, analysis, and forecast resulting in multiple licensing deals.

"As we witness the rapid development of the pharmaceutical industry and the dramatic innovation of AI technology, Insilico sees increasing demand for internal staff as more pipelines are entering the clinical stage," said Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine. "In this promising and challenging year for Insilico, we look forward to accelerated growth supported by Dr. Bayewitch's combined expertise."

Having graduated from University of California at Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Microbiology, Dr. Bayewitch continued his studies at Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot. He subsequently worked as a post–doctoral research associate at Salk Institute, where he focused on myelin specific proteins.

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a clinical–stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, is connecting biology, chemistry, and clinical trials analysis using next–generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques for novel target discovery and the generation of novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is developing breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and aging–related diseases. In early 2023, the Company opened the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Centre in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest AI–powered biotechnology research center. The R&D hub brings together global talent in artificial intelligence and software development to expand the capabilities of Insilico's end–to–end AI–driven drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, explore aging research and sustainable chemistry, and support the digital transformation of healthcare in the region.

For more information, visit www.insilico.com

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Insilico Medicine Founder and CEO to Give Keynote on Disease Modeling with AI at PEGS Boston http://www.saudimirror.com/insilico-medicine-founder-and-ceo-to-give-keynote-on-disease-modeling-with-ai-at-pegs-boston/ Fri, 12 May 2023 20:39:42 +0000 http://www.saudimirror.com/?p=216085 Abu Dhabi, May 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Insilico Medicine, a generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, announced that Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO of the Company, will attend the PEGS Boston Summit from May 15–19. He will deliver a keynote presentation on "The State of the Science in Disease Modeling Across Diverse Indications" on May 15 at 11AM at the Hynes Convention Center and join in an interactive discussion on May 15 at 12:45PM.

In his presentation, Dr. Zhavoronkov will make the first announcement of peptide–based drug design strategies and Generative Biologics, a new engine that belongs to the company's end–to–end AI–driven drug discovery platform Pharma.AI that leverages hundreds of millions of biological data points, machine learning algorithms, and generative biology models to build and design polypeptides from scratch.

A team of expert scientists are developing Pharma.AI at the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Center in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest AI–powered biotechnology research center.

"We are at an exciting moment in the history of generative AI in drug discovery," says Zhavoronkov. "Thanks to years of accumulated data and technological advances in generative AI, we can find targets and design new small molecules for hard–to–treat diseases with incredible speed and efficiency working in close partnership with pharmaceutical companies. We look forward to using generative AI to explore diverse drug development strategies."

Insilico Medicine was one of the first companies to use generative adversarial autoencoders for de–novo drug discovery. In 2016, the Company introduced the earliest iternation of its generative biology tool for identifying novel targets with a publication in Nature Communications. Another publication followed in Oncotarget, demonstrating how Insilico could employ generative algorithms with reinforcement learning to design novel small molecules with predefined and optimized properties. By 2018, Insilico integrated generative biology and chemistry approaches into the commercially available Pharma.AI platform that accelerates the process of lead discovery from years to days, and is currently being utilized by 11 of 20 top pharmaceutical companies.

The Company has also utilized the platform to develop its own robust pipeline of assets, including two drugs "" for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and COVID–19 "" currently in clinical trials and many potentially best–in–class and first–in–class assets in preclinical stages of development available for licensing. In total, Insilico has 31 programs across 29 targets, including in fibrosis, oncology, immunology, and central nervous system disorders.

Zhavoronkov says PEGS, the world's largest gathering of protein engineering and biotherapeutics experts, is the perfect setting for announcing the latest developments to Insilico's platform. "We were instrumental in the early development of generative biology and generative chemistry, and now we're advancing AI–designed drugs into clinical trials. It is truly a pivotal moment."

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a clinical–stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, is connecting biology, chemistry, and clinical trials analysis using next–generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques for novel target discovery and the generation of novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is developing breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and aging–related diseases. In early 2023, the Company opened the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Centre in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest AI–powered biotechnology research center. The R&D hub brings together global talent in artificial intelligence and software development to expand the capabilities of Insilico's end–to–end AI–driven drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, explore aging research and sustainable chemistry, and support the digital transformation of healthcare in the region.

For more information, visit www.insilico.com

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UAE Biotech Insilico Medicine Offers Disease Modeling and Target Identification Course Using AI http://www.saudimirror.com/uae-biotech-insilico-medicine-offers-disease-modeling-and-target-identification-course-using-ai/ Fri, 12 May 2023 12:40:53 +0000 http://www.saudimirror.com/?p=216080 Abu Dhabi, May 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Insilico Medicine, a generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, announced that it is releasing a course on Disease Modeling and Target Identification, available for free. Through seven lectures, the course guides participants through the latest insights in disease modeling and target discovery "" critical areas in biomedical research that involve using computational and experimental approaches to gain insights into the causes of diseases and identify potential targets for drug development.

The course uses case studies to illustrate the practical application of the concepts covered. In particular, learners will have the opportunity to explore a demo version of PandaOmics, Insilico Medicine's generative AI tool for target discovery, which is being developed by a team of scientists at the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Center in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest AI–powered biotechnology research center.

PandaOmics is used by numerous pharmaceutical companies and to develop the 31 pharmaceutical assets advancing in Insilico's own pipeline "" including two drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and COVID–19 currently in clinical trials.

After completing the course, participants will gain: .

  • in–depth knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in drug target discovery, including the emerging role of AI, achievements, and failures of pharma companies in recent years and the most promising therapeutic areas;
  • practical skills in identifying and evaluating potential drug targets, including familiarity with several popular tools and resources;
  • knowledge of the latest trends and emerging topics in target discovery, such as the use of large language models and the evolution of the druggable genome concept;
  • exposure to several case studies that illustrate the practical application of the concepts covered, and the ability to critically evaluate and compare different target discovery strategies.

The course is geared toward anyone interested in drug discovery, biomedical research, and healthcare innovation, including researchers, scientists, pharmaceutical professionals and students pursuing a degree in molecular biology, chemistry, or related fields who want to see how fundamental science can be applied to the development of novel therapeutics.

"This course aligns with our larger mission to accelerate the discovery and development of new therapeutics by making technological breakthroughs accessible to all scientists, including students, who might be interested in pursuing AI drug discovery," says Insilico Medicine founder and CEO Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, who is one of the course instructors.

Insilico has supported young researchers in using its platform before. Three high school researchers used PandaOmics to uncover new targets for glioblastoma and aging, the results of which were recently published in the journal Aging. And Insilico has been a supporter of the Youth Longevity Association and annually sponsors young scientists to attend the Aging Research and Drug Discovery conference in Copenhagen, a signature event that Zhavoronkov cofounded.

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a clinical–stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, is connecting biology, chemistry, and clinical trials analysis using next–generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques for novel target discovery and the generation of novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is developing breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and aging–related diseases. In early 2023, the Company opened the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Centre in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest AI–powered biotechnology research center. The R&D hub brings together global talent in artificial intelligence and software development to expand the capabilities of Insilico's end–to–end AI–driven drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, explore aging research and sustainable chemistry, and support the digital transformation of healthcare in the region.

For more information, visit www.insilico.com

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Student Researchers Use UAE-Developed Generative AI Technology to Find New Brain Tumor Drug Targets http://www.saudimirror.com/student-researchers-use-uae-developed-generative-ai-technology-to-find-new-brain-tumor-drug-targets/ Tue, 02 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.saudimirror.com/?p=215981 Abu Dhabi, May 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Three high school students "" Andrea Olsen from Oslo, Norway; Zachary Harpaz from Boca Raton, Florida; and Chris Ren from Shanghai, China "" co–authored a paper using a generative artificial intelligence (AI) engine for target discovery from Insilico Medicine ("Insilico") called PandaOmics to identify new therapeutic targets for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). GBM is the most aggressive and common malignant brain tumor, accounting for 16% of all primary brain tumors. The findings were published on April 26 in the journal Aging.

Much of the technology behind PandaOmics is being developed in Insilico's Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Center in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest AI–powered biotechnology research center.

Olsen, a student at Sevenoaks School in Kent, UK, began interning at Insilico Medicine in 2021, after discovering her interest in neurobiology and technology. For the current paper, the fifth scientific paper she has co–authored before turning eighteen, she and other researchers used PandaOmics to screen datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus repository maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information and found new therapeutic targets implicated for treating both aging and glioblastoma multiforme.

Ren, a student at Shanghai High School International Division, has an interest in biology and biomarkers and joined them in the summer of 2022.

While there would seem to be a clear connection between aging and cancer, Olsen says their findings were more nuanced. "Sometimes, instead of aging, the body switches to cancer mechanisms, which was really interesting to discover." She hypothesized that "the body is trying to preserve itself in a way that it is switching back to embryonic processes of cell division." GBM is caused by a genetic mutation that leads to uncontrolled growth of glial cells, or cells that surround neurons in the brain. Even with existing therapies, the median survival for GBM patients is only 15 months.

Harpaz, a student at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, had an early interest in computer science and AI and soon developed a passion for biology as well. "I wanted to combine my two favorite topics, computer science and biology, into what I think is the most interesting field of biology – aging research," Harpaz says. He discovered generative AI drug discovery company Insilico Medicine whose founder and CEO, Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, connected him with Olsen. The two young researchers began collaborating on the glioblastoma project and ultimately presented findings at the Aging Research and Drug Discovery (ARDD) conference in Copenhagen, where they together launched the Youth Longevity Association (TYLA).

In this latest paper, the three teens used PandaOmics to analyze the genes and identified three that were strongly correlated with both aging and glioblastoma and could serve as potential therapeutic targets for new drugs.

"We selected the genes that were overlapped to be highly correlated in 11 of the 12 datasets, and we split our data into young, middle aged, and senior groups," said Harpaz. "We mapped this to the importance of the gene expression to survival." After identifying two genetic targets for glioblastoma and aging "" CNGA3 and GLUD1 "" they cross–referenced their findings with earlier findings from Insilico around genes strongly correlated with aging and identified a third target "" SIRT1.

"I learned a lot about conducting a research project," said Ren, who helped review the three targets. "The PandaOmics platform really made the project accessible to me. As a high school sophomore, I did not have sufficient experience for advanced research and analysis, however, I was still able to navigate the PandaOmics platform after a brief period of training to process and compare datasets of glioblastoma."

The students say they are eager to continue their studies in AI and biology into college and to move the GBM research forward from target discovery to drug development.

"The best way to take this research further is going to be using Insilico's Chemistry42 software, where we can take the targets we identified through PandaOmics and generate small molecules, potential drugs, with these targets that have the potential to treat glioblastoma and aging at the same time," says Harpaz.

Prior to her internship at Insilico, Olsen says: "I never knew that AI could be so helpful in finding completely new therapeutic targets. For me, that was an incredible opportunity to dive into the field of research, aging, longevity, and neuroscience. It really kick–started my entire career."

"I am truly impressed by the commitment of these young researchers," says Zhavoronkov. "I hope their work will inspire other young people excited about science and technology to look at how they can use AI tools to discover new targets and treatments for both aging and disease."

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a clinical–stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, is connecting biology, chemistry, and clinical trials analysis using next–generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques for novel target discovery and the generation of novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is developing breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and aging–related diseases. In early 2023, the Company opened the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Centre in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest AI–powered biotechnology research center. The R&D hub brings together global talent in artificial intelligence and software development to expand the capabilities of Insilico's end–to–end AI–driven drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, explore aging research and sustainable chemistry, and support the digital transformation of healthcare in the region.

For more information, visit www.insilico.com

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Insilico Medicine Successfully Discovered Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Small Molecule Inhibitor of CDK8 Using Generative AI http://www.saudimirror.com/insilico-medicine-successfully-discovered-potent-selective-and-orally-bioavailable-small-molecule-inhibitor-of-cdk8-using-generative-ai/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 19:14:58 +0000 http://www.saudimirror.com/?p=215917 Abu Dhabi, April 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Insilico Medicine ("Insilico"), a clinical–stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company which operates the largest AI–powered biotech R&D center in the Middle East, announced that it has successfully discovered a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of CDK8 for the treatment of cancer using a structure–based generative chemistry approach enabled by the Chemistry42 generative reinforcement learning platform. The research was published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, a leading journal in medicinal chemistry.

As members of the CDK family, CDK8 and its paralog protein CDK19 play critical roles in regulating transcription of many different signaling pathways involved in oncogenic control. Deregulation of CDK8/19 has been implicated as a driving force in many human cancers, particularly in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and advanced solid tumors. Moreover, CDK8/19 is also involved in immune modulation. Targeting CDK8/19 could enhance NK cell cytotoxicity and stimulate NK cell–mediated tumor surveillance. Therefore, targeting CDK8/19 is regarded as a promising strategy with a two–in–one mechanism of action that not only inhibits tumor cell growth, but also increases immune cell activity.

The research published by Insilico was supported by its generative chemistry engine, Chemistry42, which is built on years of modeling and pre–training of large biological, chemical and textual datasets. Chemistry42 includes 42 generative engines and more than 500 predictive engines for scoring which allows researchers to generate molecules with desired properties from scratch using deep learning technologies through structure–based drug design (SBDD) and ligand–based drug design (LBDD).

In this study, scientists described the process of using the SBDD module of Chemistry42 to generate a key anchor linker and identify the hit compound targeting CDK8. Over several optimization cycles, R&D scientists further improved in vitro metabolic stability, kinase selectivity, and in vivo pharmacokinetic profile cross–species, leading to the discovery of one potent, selective, and orally bioavailable inhibitor of CDK8, which was evaluated in in vivo efficacy studies and demonstrated robust tumor growth inhibition in multiple in vivo efficacy models.

In addition to the published molecule, Insilico scientists are progressing with another AI–generated CDK8 inhibitor with a novel structure. Insilico is open to potential partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to co–develop the drug candidate.

"At Insilico, we encourage scientists to share their innovative insights in AI–driven drug discovery with the industry by publishing peer–reviewed papers," said Feng Ren, PhD, Co–CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine. "In this case, we have not only discovered a novel compound for a promising target, but also provided innovative practices in early drug discovery supported by generative AI."

Insilico has pioneered applying multiple generative approaches for drug design in both generative chemistry and generative biology and published the first paper in generative chemistry. The company then submitted the relevant patents on applying these generative approaches for chemistry and biology, and integrated these approaches into the commercially available Pharma.AI platform, which includes PandaOmics a system utilizing multiple predictive and generative biology models; a generative chemistry engine, Chemistry42; and a clinical trial outcomes prediction engine InClinico, which utilizes a combination of omics–based predictors and text–based transformers. Powered by generative AI, Insilico is delivering breakthroughs for healthcare in multiple disease areas. The lead program targeting fibrosis–driven diseases has completed Phase 0 and Phase I clinical trials and received positive Phase I topline data and Orphan Drug Designation.

"We described the concept of using generative AI for the design of novel molecules in a peer–reviewed journal in 2016 for the first time. Later, we developed multiple approaches and new features for our GAN–based AI platform for drug design. We also started patenting our findings so that ,in some areas, patents preceded publications. Some of my favorite patents combine generative chemistry and generative biology," said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine. "I am excited to see that with the support of generative AI, we have achieved several industry milestones and advanced the drug candidates discovered by generative AI to the clinical stage. In 2022 alone, we nominated 9 preclinical candidates utilizing generative AI. We are committed to refining our approach and tools to reshape the future of healthcare by generative innovation."

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a clinical–stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, is connecting biology, chemistry, and clinical trials analysis using next–generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques for novel target discovery and the generation of novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is developing breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and aging–related diseases. In early 2023, the Company opened the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Centre in Abu Dhabi, the region's largest AI–powered biotechnology research center. The R&D hub brings together global talent in artificial intelligence and software development to expand the capabilities of Insilico's end–to–end AI–driven drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, explore aging research and sustainable chemistry, and support the digital transformation of healthcare in the region. www.insilico.com

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Insilico Medicine Signs Strategic Research Collaboration with Sanofi worth up to $1.2 Billion http://www.saudimirror.com/insilico-medicine-signs-strategic-research-collaboration-with-sanofi-worth-up-to-1-2-billion/ Tue, 08 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0000 http://www.saudimirror.com/?p=213717 Abu Dhabi, Nov. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Insilico Medicine, a clinical stage artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, announced a multi–year, multi–target strategic research collaboration with Sanofi. Under the terms of the agreement, the collaboration will leverage Insilico Medicine's AI platform, Pharma.AI, to advance drug development candidates for up to six new targets.

"We look forward to working with Insilico Medicine, a demonstrated leader in AI–powered drug discovery," said Changchun Xiao, Head of China Research at Sanofi. "This collaboration will leverage our complementary capabilities, as well as the co–location of our scientific teams, to boost the drug discovery efforts of the Sanofi Institute for Biomedical Research (SIBR), Sanofi's R&D center in China."

Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi will pay Insilico Medicine a total of up to $21.5 million covering the upfront and target nomination fees to benefit from Insilico's end–to–end Pharma.AI platform and gain access to a team of interdisciplinary drug discovery scientists to identify, synthesize, and advance high–quality lead therapeutic compounds up to development candidate stage. Additional payments will be made if key research, development, and sales milestones are met, and could total up to $1.2 billion. The collaboration also establishes mid–single to up to low double–digit tiered royalties for any products developed.

"We are very happy to collaborate with Sanofi, a company with a clear strategy in AI–powered drug discovery," said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, CEO and founder of Insilico Medicine. "This close collaboration will allow Sanofi to immediately gain the capabilities of one of the top AI startups in addition to enriching their drug discovery pipeline.”

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Sanofi. Leveraging Sanofi's strong drug research and development expertise and Insilico's powerful AI platform, we believe we can accelerate novel therapeutics discovery to address diseases with unmet medical needs," said Feng Ren, PhD, co–CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine. "Together we will use cutting–edge AI technologies to make significant breakthroughs in drug R&D."

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a clinical stage end–to–end artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, is connecting biology, chemistry, and clinical trials analysis using next–generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques to discover novel targets and to design novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is delivering breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system (CNS) diseases and aging–related diseases.

For more information, visit www.insilico.com

For media inquiries, contact media@insilicomedicine.com

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Insilico Medicine Announces New Investment Led by Aramco-backed Prosperity7 Ventures, bringing total Series D Financing to $95 Million http://www.saudimirror.com/insilico-medicine-announces-new-investment-led-by-aramco-backed-prosperity7-ventures-bringing-total-series-d-financing-to-95-million/ Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:50:39 +0000 http://www.saudimirror.com/?p=213160 New York, Aug. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HIGHLIGHTS:

Insilico Medicine announces a closing of its Series D2 round, bringing the total Series D financing to $95 million, despite an uncertain market

The Series D2 round is led by Prosperity7, the diversified growth fund of Aramco Ventures, which is an investment subsidiary of Aramco, the world's leading integrated energy and chemicals company

Relying on Prosperity7's global network and generous resources, Insilico will expand its AI capabilities from drug R&D to multiple areas to support sustainable development

Insilico Medicine, a clinical–stage end–to–end artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, announced today that it has completed a second closing of its Series D round, led by Prosperity7 Ventures, the diversified growth fund of Aramco Ventures, bringing the total Series D financing to $95 million. Other global investors with expertise in the biopharmaceutical and life sciences sectors also participated.

The financing brought in Prosperity7 as a new investor, alongside current investors in the Series D round, including a large, diversified asset management firm on the US West Coast, B Capital Group, Warburg Pincus, BHR Partners, Qiming Venture Partners, Deerfield, Pavilion Capital, BOLD Capital Partners, and WS Investment Company. Insilico's founder and CEO, Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, also invested in the Series D round.

Aysar Tayeb, Executive Managing Director of Prosperity7 Ventures, said: "The deepening application of AI and machine learning for drug discovery has demonstrated a transformative positive impact on the pharmaceutical industry and we are delighted to embark on this partnership with Insilico Medicine, a frontrunner in this innovation. Backed by the breadth of Aramco's ecosystem across geographies and sectors, we look to support the company to scale up and expand its footprint globally, to drive biotechnology excellence, and to bring positive impact for greater wellbeing."

The new Series D capital will support the continued advancement of Insilico's pipeline, including its lead program which is currently in a Phase 1 study in New Zealand and in China, as well as several pipeline programs in IND–enabling studies. The proceeds will also fund other key strategic initiatives, including further development of its end–to–end Pharma.AI platform, the launch of a fully automated, AI–driven robotic drug discovery laboratory and biological data factory, and the establishment of regional centers.

The investment from Prosperity7 further diversifies the Company's investor base globally and brings a potential strategic partner with deep expertise in high–performance and environmentally friendly energy R&D. Relying on Prosperity7's global network and generous resources, Insilico will expand its AI capabilities from drug R&D to multiple areas, including sustainable chemistry, green energy, and agriculture to actively support sustainable development. Insilico had already leveraged the power of its platform to accelerate innovation in sustainable agriculture in a multi–year collaboration with Syngenta which validated that the platform's capabilities in AI–enabled multiparameter optimization could create substantial value.

"In 2022, Aramco became the world's most valuable company, and we are deeply honored to receive the investment from their venture capital arm, Prosperity7, which focuses on investment in "disruptive technology'," said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine. "Our experience in expanding our reach into sustainable agriculture through our collaboration with Syngenta and others demonstrated the diversity of data and methods and unprecedented scale up allows us to improve our performance. I am certain that the collaborations with Prosperity7 in the field of sustainable and environmentally friendly chemistry and clean energy solutions will further expand our artificial intelligence capabilities. In addition, after spending time in Saudi Arabia, it is clear that the country is making a giant leap in technology. We would love to be part of this effort and help the country realize its vision using the latest advances in artificial intelligence."

Through a unique dual–CEO structure, Insilico Medicine is advancing its AI capabilities and drug research and development simultaneously. Recently, the Company promoted Dr. Feng Ren, Insilico's Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) to the position of co–CEO to drive the company's drug R&D platform. In addition to overseeing drug discovery and development, Dr. Ren will also guide the Company's growing clinical development and will play a leading role in driving business development. During his tenure, the Company has rapidly transformed its pipeline into a robust portfolio of novel, innovative drug candidates, targeting areas with highly unmet needs. Seven programs in its internal pipeline have progressed to IND–enabling studies, including a novel 3CL protease inhibitor for COVID–19 treatment, and two synthetic lethality programs targeting MAT2A and USP1 for oncology indications. It also successfully completed a Phase 0 microdose study in Australia and entered Phase I clinical trials with its first internally developed program targeting fibrosis in both New Zealand and China.

"We have the structure to be as an equal parts AI and drug development company," said Feng Ren, PhD, co–CEO and CSO of Insilico Medicine. "We also have a number of exciting initiatives in motion "" including an expanding global presence, a robotics lab in development, and significant progress in our internal pipeline programs. With this latest funding round, we will be able to scale up our capabilities, advance our internal programs, develop our AI, and align with partners in the Saudi region to develop new regional technology hubs."

Insilico has co–development and software licensing deals with a number of major pharmaceutical companies. Since the launch of its PandaOmics and Chemistry42 platforms in late 2020, nine out of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies, as measured by 2020 revenue, have used Insilico's AI platforms. In 2022, Insilico signed multi–asset partnerships with Fosun Pharma and EQRX in January and March, respectively. Notably, Insilico achieved its first major milestone and nominated a preclinical candidate for the QPCTL program for cancer immunotherapy less than 40 days into the strategic collaboration with Fosun Pharma. Business development continues to remain a vital part of the company's strategy to demonstrate and unlock the value of its Pharma.AI platform.

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a clinical stage end–to–end artificial intelligence (AI)–driven drug discovery company, is connecting biology, chemistry, and clinical trials analysis using next–generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques to discover novel targets and to design novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is delivering breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system diseases and aging–related diseases.

For more information, visit www.insilico.com

For media inquiries, please contact media@insilicomedicine.com

About Prosperity7 Ventures

Prosperity7 Ventures is the diversified growth fund of Aramco Ventures, a subsidiary of Aramco, the world's leading integrated energy and chemicals company. The fund's name is derived from "Prosperity Well', the 7th oil well drilled in Saudi Arabia and the first to strike oil. Taking forward this pioneering history, we invest globally, with a long term–view, in breakthrough technologies and transformational business models that will bring prosperity and positive impact on a vast scale.

For more information, visit www.prosperity7vc.com


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