AI Drug Startup Touts Promising Advance in Treating Lung Disease

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 ...