Researchers at the biotechnology company Insilico Medicine, with teams based in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, have used artificial intelligence to discover a new family of potential medicines against blood cancers. The results were published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
The molecules are PROTACs, which work differently from conventional drugs: instead of binding temporarily to the target protein, they carry it to the cell’s disposal system, which destroys it completely. In this case the target is Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, a protein that helps malignant cells in some leukaemias and lymphomas grow and spread.
The company uses two AI platforms: one helps identify disease-related proteins and the other designs molecules with the right shape to fit them. According to Insilico, this approach makes it possible to select a drug candidate in 12 to 18 months, compared with two and a half to four years using traditional methods.
The compounds are still at an early stage and will need further testing before they can reach human trials. Even so, the discovery adds to other advances announced this year by the same team, including a candidate against brain cancer.
