Exscientia and and Japanese company Sumitomo Dainippon have announced that a joint AI-developed drug has been initiated for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder as an initial indication.
The drug – DSP-1181 – is the first of its kind, created through the joint research by both the companies and Centaur Chemist’s AI platform.
The drug has been initiated in a Phase I clinical study, meaning that Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma has expanded its development pipeline to treat key unmet medical needs in the Psychiatry and Neurology area, one of the company’s three focus research areas.
The initiation is being hailed as a “breakthrough”, with Toru Kimura, senior executive officer, saying the company is “excited with the results of the joint research that resulted in the development of candidate compounds in a very short time.”
He continued, “Exscientia’s sophisticated AI drug discovery technologies combined with our company’s deep experience in monoamine GPCR drug discovery, allowed us to work synergistically, delivering a highly successful outcome. We will continue to work hard to make this clinical study a success so that it may deliver new benefits to patients as soon as possible.”
DSP-1181 is being progressed as a long-acting and potent serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist. The development of the drug was delivered by the “strong synergy” of the joint research, requiring less than 12 months to complete the exploratory research phase, just a fraction of the typical average of 4.5 years using conventional research techniques.
