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The use of AI in drug discovery and development has been recognised, explored, and implemented throughout the last decade, with a notable acceleration in recent years. AI technology has provided a multitude of enhancements, including the identification of lead compounds, the optimisation of clinical trials, and assistance with drug repurposing. As a result, lucrative deals have been struck between big pharma companies and specialist AI companies. These include the $2.76bn deal between Novo Nordisk and Valo Health, the $1.75bn agreement between Eli Lilly and Isomorphic Labs, and the $1.5bn partnership between Bayer and Recursion Pharmaceuticals.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals
Recursion is a strong player in AI, utilising machine learning and its large language model, LOWE. However, what makes its technology distinctive is its use of high-throughput automation and proprietary data sets. Automation allows it to test up to 2.2 million samples per week in its wet labs. Additionally, in May 2024, Recursion announced it had made the largest supercomputer in the pharmaceutical industry, BioHive-2, in collaboration with NVIDIA, improving its BioHive-1 system. Recursion OS is Recursion’s AI-driven drug discovery platform. This platform leverages its automated experiments with multi-omic and chemical data to discover novel drug targets and potential mechanisms of action. Unlike traditional drug discovery, which follows a narrow, stepwise approach, Recursion OS maps biological relationships at a large scale using machine learning to analyse the data sets. This integrated platform allows for data-driven discovery, uncovering unexpected drug targets and compounds rather than screening compounds against a predefined target.
Recursion OS has allowed it to identify RBM39, a novel drug target, and produce a candidate drug, REC-1245, a small molecule therapy targeting biomarker-enriched solid tumours and lymphoma. According to Recursion, these technologies have allowed it to go from target identification to Investigational New Drug-enabling studies (those required before human testing) in less than 18 months, compared to the industry standard of 42 months.
Another key candidate in Recursion’s pipeline is a cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) inhibitor, REC-617, being developed for multiple advanced solid tumours and currently recruiting for Phase I/II trials. There are currently no approved checkpoint inhibitors targeting CDK7, which has a crucial role in regulating cell cycle progression and enabling cancers’ prosurvival and proliferative signalling. Its elevated levels have been associated with clinical outcomes, suggesting it may directly affect progression in a range of cancers. Recursion has stated REC-617 has an advantage over other candidates due to its “high selectivity and optimised half-life”.