Alex Zhavoronkov of Insilico Medicine – Artificial Intelligence for Drug – Simple BioTech Podcast #5 (2020-10-28)

Alex Zhavoronkov of Insilico Medicine – Artificial Intelligence for Drug – Simple BioTech Podcast #5 Simple BioTech Podcast Oct 28, 2020 Dr. Alex Zhavaronkov is the CEO of Insilico Medicine, a biotech company using artificial intelligence for drug and biomarker discovery. Dr. Zhavaronkov wants to use this company and the technology they are developing to increase the number of drugs for aging all the way through the process of clinical trials, currently an arduous and expensive process. He speaks to host James Ruhle about on how his company will do that, how the technology they are developing works, and how artificial intelligence will shape longevity and biotech industries going forward. Some other keys points of the interview: Much aging research is occurring outside of what is traditionally thought of as “aging research” (18:50) After surveying aging-related and adjacent fields, Zhavaronkov decided the most significant contributions that he could make to the field would be to approach aging not from the field of aging research, but from bioinformatics. This involved analyzing massive amounts of aging related data. That was the origin of Insilico. Much of aging breakthroughs will not come from aging research, but rather from companies that are investigating the molecules that cause the biological symptoms of aging. What Insilico does: How can AI figure out a drug that will work in the human body? (24:00) Insilico feeds millions of data points from biological research into their AI computer system. Deep neural networks, a type of AI, can learn to predict the age of a person using physical and biological features from this data. Insilico has trained AI to identify patterns in gene expression, methylation, blood biochemistry, and other types of data to better understand the biological causes of aging, as well the potential treatments of those causes. The AI then unravels the biological causes of aging using treatments that would reverse them. Once the AI has identified a potential treatment, how is the viability of the treatment verified? (39:15) Traditionally, it can take 10 years or more to get a drug through clinical trials. Insilico validated their AI with real-life experimental models to determine whether or not their AI had discovered viable biological targets. To test the viability of molecules developed with AI, the molecules must be synthesized, or created. This is an expensive and laborious process. Sometimes, Insilico would spend months and years and hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars to develop a molecule or test a target that didn’t do what was intended. Insilico is now combining their target identification and chemistry capabilities to develop potential treatments. We can only accelerate so much using AI (46:00) Molecules still need to be validated in an experimental system to show that they are safe and effective. Those safety protocols are very important to the process of drug development. “Drug discovery is like a molecule casino.” Sometimes you win big and a potential drug works as well or better than you expect; other times you lose, and you molecule could fail or cause damage instead. What are the competitive advantages of Insilico? (50:30) They were in the right place at the right time. Started pioneering biotechnologies in 2014-2015, as they were emerging. Academically minded company: There is a scientific article to back up the claims of Insilico. One of the only companies targeting multiple phrases of drug development and testing Insilico can target these various phases using one AI system: They are the only company doing this. There is a very experienced team behind Insilico—They worked directly with top minds in pharmaceuticals. Insilico has some of the best investors. Insilico’s business model (55:30) Hybrid model Develop software Service collaborations: companies may hire Insilico to solve a difficult problem. Drug discovery pipeline Brings in most money. Help with nutraceuticals research for big pharma. Do not launch nutraceuticals because they are often perceived as snake oil. James’ Fun Questions: (59:30) What is Zhavaronkov doing to enhance or extend his life right now? Working for Insilico medicine. Most treatments available right now are minimal compared to what’s coming. When will biotechnology and AI have a significant impact on human lifespan, adding 20, 30, or even 50 years? Still decades away. Depends on the economy being good . Like what you hear? Click subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keep up with latest news, episodes, and Biotech updates on Instagram @SimpleBioTech. If you want to know which BioTech companies host James Ruhle is currently excited about, connect with him on Angel List,