Extending human life beyond the confines of our mortal bodies is hitting a genetic stumbling block. According to a study published this year in the revered Lancet medical journal, researchers opined that while life expectancy is on the rise, the onset of aging is deeply embedded in our DNA. This translates into more years spent in poor health with a declining quality of life.
Alex Zhavoronkov, the founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, expressed his belief at the Fortune Brainstorm AI Singapore conference that behavioral modification has reached its limits. He suggested that only artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly extend the average lifespan.
“Many [people] have optimized for diet, exercise, sleep and they still aged, got diseases and died,” Zhavoronkov told participants on Tuesday. “We need to have something much more substantial, a big breakthrough, a ChatGPT moment in longevity.”
The Potential of AI in Drug Development
Insilico employs Google’s AlphaFold, a tool that predicts the intricate shape of proteins based on their sequence of amino acids, to aid in the design of new drugs using generative AI. Their idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment, a small molecule inhibitor known as INS018_55, is currently in phase II clinical trials.
For Zhavoronkov, AI stands as the only promising technology within reach that has the potential to dramatically slow down the effects of aging and age-related diseases in the near future at a cost-effective price.
“That’s because there is only one part of the pharmaceutical process whose process is in a company’s control: discovering promising new molecules and antibodies. The second part of the process, testing them over lengthy periods, is largely static and requires a minimum amount of time to sufficiently prove safety and efficacy to regulators.”
Challenges in Drug Development
“Most people misunderstand how difficult and costly it is to develop a drug,” Zhavoronkov said. “I ran Insilico for ten years—my most leading drug is in phase II clinical trials.”
Despite all the research conducted so far, Zhavoronkov said no drug has been proven to lengthen human life. He drew attention to experiments conducted using rapamycin, and its class of chemical inhibitor derivatives called rapalogs, which have not been found effective despite consistent evidence that they work in mice.
AI to the Rescue
Zhavoronkov believes AI can fundamentally reduce the time required to discover new molecules and antibodies by at least 50% and in some cases as much as 70%, while cutting the ensuing costs by 90%.
For smaller drug companies like Insilico that may lack the resources to see all their drugs through the lengthy stages of clinical trials, this opens the door to generating revenue by selling them on to larger pharma groups that do.
Zhavoronkov said his team already raked in $1.5 billion with such deals last year.
“Those AI drugs that [are] faster and cheaper to make are actually of higher quality,” the Insilico founder said, “so people are willing to pay a lot of money for it.”
Final Thoughts
While these are exciting times in the world of AI and medicine, it’s important to remember that these innovations are still in their infancy. As researchers continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, we may soon see a world where AI plays a significant role in extending human lifespan. Until then, it’s important to stay updated on the latest news and developments.
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