Insilico Medicine ("Insilico", 3696.HK), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have entered into a collaborative research agreement aimed at discovering new therapeutic targets for gastroesophageal malignancies. The initiative builds on MSK's global leadership in this field under the direction of Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, Carroll and Milton Petrie Chair; Chief, GI Oncology; and Founding Director of the MSK GEC Therapeutics Accelerator, whose group has delivered multiple practice-changing advances in gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers. Patrick Evans, BS, MBA, Senior Project Manager in the Janjigian Lab, will serve as the MSK project lead, supporting integration of scientific, operational, and translational efforts across teams.
Insilico Medicine's multidisciplinary team will utilize its PandaOmics platform and other proprietary tools to accelerate the discovery of new disease mechanisms and target hypotheses. PandaOmics is an AI-driven biological data analysis platform developed and designed to accelerate drug target discovery by integrating advanced, multi-dimensional artificial intelligence (AI) and bioinformatics models with multimodal omics and biomedical text data for therapeutic target and biomarker identification. The platform utilizes over 20 proprietary AI and bioinformatic models to systematically prioritize druggable biological targets with high translational potential.
A central strength of the project is the integration of MSK's extensive multi-omic clinical datasets into PandaOmics. MSK contributes high quality patient genomic, proteomic, and transcriptomic data and deeply annotated clinical cohorts, providing a rich foundation for systematic analysis and identification of disease drivers across diverse GEC subtypes. By combining MSK's world-class clinical and translational expertise with Insilico's AI powered platforms, the joint project teams aim to uncover actionable targets and biological pathways that may lead to future personalized therapeutic options and improved outcomes for patients with gastroesophageal cancers.
The collaboration is currently centered on data gathering, quality control, and integration. Subsequent phases anticipate involving AI driven hypothesis generation, target ranking, and detailed biological investigation. The project also supports the evaluation and advancement of identified targets across a range of therapeutic modalities, including biologics and small molecules.
This collaboration with MSKbrings together leading clinical oncology expertise with our generative AI platforms. Gastroesophageal cancers remain among the most challenging solid tumors. By integrating MSK's exceptional clinical data resources with our target discovery technologies, we aim to identify meaningful biological insights and accelerate the development of new therapeutic options for patients worldwide."
Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine
Reflecting on the collaboration, Dr. Janjigian noted: "GEC patients need new breakthroughs, and those breakthroughs must come from a deeper understanding of each patient's unique disease biology. By combining patient-level clinical and molecular data with transformative AI tools, we can accelerate the discovery of clinically meaningful targets and move more personalized therapies toward patients who need them most, in real time and faster."
Harnessing state-of-the-art AI and automation technologies, Insilico has significantly improved the efficiency of preclinical drug development, setting a benchmark for AI-driven drug R&D. While traditional early-stage drug discovery typically requires an average of 4.5 years, Insilico has nominated 20 preclinical candidates from 2021 to 2024, with an average timeline-from project initiation to preclinical candidate (PCC) nomination-of just 12 to 18 months per program, with only 60 to 200 molecules synthesized and tested in each program.
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