Drug development, which requires a lot of time, money and testing, is being accelerated and animal testing has been reduced thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). Along that path, the company VeriSIM Life has created “digital twins” of various human and animal body types, using AI to assess how drugs will affect real subjects before clinical trials.
Founded in 2017 by Dr. Joe Varshney, a veterinarian with a PhD in genomics and cancer biology, VeriSIM enables pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, and academic institutions to assess the efficacy and safety of drugs using AI without the need for animal testing. cooperates with.
After testing, the drug gets a translational index score, similar to a credit score. If the score is low, drug makers may reconsider their experimental design or start over.
“Drug developers are increasingly incorporating computational/in silico solutions to reduce costs and improve translation from lab to clinic. However, even with these tools, the efficacy, disease pathways, mechanisms of action, toxicity, Challenges remain in determining the best route, administration and ideal formulation,” explains Varshney. “Now predictive AI and machine learning technologies (such as the BIOiSIM platform) are filling gaps that were previously out of reach with traditional approaches.”
AI Simulator for Research
The use of AI-based simulations speeds up the generation of new compounds, as the platform can test millions of hypotheses instead of the typical slow trial-and-error process that takes years.
VeriSIM Life eliminates the need for research and development costs associated with animal testing, which can collectively save US companies approximately $20 billion per year and avoid unnecessary animal testing. This technique minimizes risk for developers, as approximately 89% of drugs that pass animal testing fail in human clinical trials.
Furthermore, the technology allows for the development of drugs for smaller populations of patients, an activity that was not economically feasible with traditional research and development methods. VeriSIM also collaborates with the Mayo Clinic and its platform is used for both human medical and animal drug development. To date, the company has secured approximately $25 million in investor funding.
Dr. Varshney says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supports Verisim’s mission to reduce animal testing, and he believes its technology will provide pharmaceutical companies and eagerly awaited access to new drugs. Provides significant benefits to both patients.
