“A drug developed using artificial intelligence showed signs of efficacy in treating an incurable lung disease in what its developer calls a clinical first.

Insilico Medicine, the biotech company with twin headquarters in Boston and Hong Kong, said it’s the first time an AI-created drug, working on an approach identified by AI, passed a mid-stage clinical study.

The company’s lead drug, named rentosertib, when given at the highest dose spurred improvement in lung function in a small group of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis — lung scarring that makes breathing difficult, according to a paper published in Nature Medicine on Tuesday. A biomarker analysis showed it worked exactly as envisioned on a molecular level, cutting a protein that AI hypothesized was tied to the disease.”

From Bloomberg.