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Using artificial intelligence to identify infectious disease drug targets & treatments
Identify drugs that are more likely to succeed
Improve clinical trial design by identifying patients most likely to benefit
AI is an advanced form of machine learning that can rapidly analyse very large datasets, highlight non-intuitive trends resulting in the identification of novel disease targets and associated drugs. AI can tilt the odds of drug development by identifying products which are more likely to succeed in the clinic.
Poolbeg Pharma has access to unique disease progression data from human challenge trials. These datasets provide critical clinical insights into disease that guides our product acquisitions and clinical development. The unique nature of human challenge trials to produce high precision matched data has revolutionised the insights generated using AI analysis.
Influenza AI Programme
In March 2022, Poolbeg signed a deal with CytoReason, a leading AI company, to provide analysis of Poolbeg’s unique influenza disease progression data derived from human challenge trial samples. CytoReason has built world-class validated AI models which can extrapolate immune cell behaviour based on bulk transcriptomics, making it an ideal partner to maximise the insights of our influenza data. To date, five of the world’s top ten pharma companies use CytoReason’s technology including Pfizer, Sanofi, Merck KgaA and Roche.
This partnership is harnessing the insights of our unique repository of influenza human challenge trial data together with CytoReason’s broad repositories of curated disease data and industry leading and validated AI technology to enable a deep understanding of the mechanism of influenza infection, progression and recovery and, as a result, succesfully identified multiple novel drug targets for this disease in June 2023. The Company is actively exploring the most effective way to further develop the novel drug targets in order to generate value and is progressing towards drug target validation in 2024.
This is the first time that AI analysis has been undertaken on influenza human challenge disease progression data and samples and comes at a time when the threat of influenza is significant.
Global Influenza in Numbers
1 BILLION
Estimated Global Cases
1 in 8
Annual Global Infection Rate
5 – 10 MILLION
Hospitalisations
~500,000
Annual Influenza Related Deaths
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) AI Programme
In February 2022, Poolbeg signed an agreement with OneThree Biotech Inc, a biology-driven AI company, to identify new drug targets and treatments for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Since initiating the collaboration, Poolbeg’s scientific team has worked closely with OneThree to build a tailored AI approach that leverages Poolbeg’s unique RSV human challenge trial data in order to identify disease-relevant biological pathways and potential drug targets. Drug targets were successfully identified in November 2022 and based on those newly discovered drug targets; the collaboration identified a number of promising drug candidates. In December 2023, Poolbeg received positive outputs from lab-based analysis of these drug candidates and strategically prioritised a number of candidates that were analysed.
This groundbreaking innovation is the first time that AI analysis has been undertaken on RSV human challenge trial derived disease progression data and samples
We have prioritised compounds with existing Phase I clinical data and which could potentially be repositioned as novel treatments for RSV infection. Candidates with solid safety and pharmacodynamic data in humans are well positioned to rapidly enter a clinical trial to generate early human efficacy data for RSV. This significant breakthrough has demonstrated the power of AI in speeding up drug discovery and identification and has re-emphasised our confidence in the value of our data and our technology driven programmes for our pipeline going forward.
RSV In Numbers
50 million
People affected globally per annum
74,500
Hospital deaths in children under 5
0
Approved treatments for adults
Unique Data & Samples
Poolbeg Pharma has access to a unique private repository of clinical samples and associated data from human challenge trials. Data from human challenge trials are unique in that they track a healthy subject through disease to recovery in carefully controlled and monitored isolation units, collecting samples throughout the course of disease, and vitally collecting matched baseline and follow-up samples before and after infection. This data is unique in the depth of longitudinal virology, health, biomarker and symptom data collected during the course of disease.
POLB 001 was identified using such disease progression data, however by utilising AI, the Company has identified more targets, quicker and more cost efficiently than previously possible without this technology.
“Integration of AI in the drug discovery and drug development process is beginning to revolutionise the delivery of healthcare. The role of AI in infectious disease is particularly pertinent due to the diverse range of factors that can impact the trajectory of infection and immunity.
Using AI tools in combination with our world leading bank of data has facilitated the identification of novel drugs quicker and with greater cost-efficiency than the traditional biotech model. AI has provided new insights into our unique human challenge trial data and is helping us to progress the rapidly expansion of our pipeline in-line with our cost effective R&D approach.”
Jeremy Skillington, PhD, CEO
