The candidate builds on the success the company achieved using its artificial intelligence (AI) system in February 2021 with the identification of a novel drug target and novel compound to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Now, Insilico has repeated the process for kidney fibrosis by using its PandaOmics platform to develop a target hypothesis, which was then followed by using Chemistry42, Insilico's automated machine-learning platform, to generate compounds with druglike properties. PandaOmics applies AI to generate disease target hypotheses, evaluate targets, and predict the chances of a potential target entering a phase I clinical trial within the next five years. Chemistry42 leverages ligand/structure-based drug design to generate perfect-fit compounds.

The company demonstrated that the new candidate compound markedly inhibited the development of fibrosis and significantly improved myofibroblast activation, which are critical for tissue repair and wound healing.

Insilico plans to complete the investigational new drug-enabling studies for this program in 2022. It will use the proceeds from its recent $255 million series C financing round to accelerate the candidate to the clinic and discover more drug candidates using its AI solutions.