About Us
Can we learn something new about ALS & potentially discover a new drug in 12 weeks?
GenieUs
Matt Keon, CEO
GenieUs Genomics
“This is a great way for us to accelerate what we already know and remain open minded about what might come out of it. The learning along the way will be invaluable. It builds upon our strong relationship with Arctoris and will hopefully be a powerful demonstration of how AI drug discovery can actually be applied to real world problems, in our case ALS"
This is the challenge Arctoris and GenieUs Genomics have set for themselves.
Combining the latest in robotics and data science-powered drug discovery with a platform for AI-enabled target identification, the two teams join forces to make rapid, focused progress towards bringing a new drug to patients. The website for the 12-week challenge will be updated weekly and everyone can follow each step via 12wdc.com.
The GenieUs team will kick off by processing ALS genomic data using a unique machine learning tool developed by their in-house scientists. A list of targets will be shortlisted and taken into molecular dynamics modelling to identify compounds which already have FDA approval, or went into clinical trials for other diseases. By repurposing pre-approved drugs, the time to clinic, and to benefit patients' lives will be much shorter as much of the safety testing has already been carried out. These drugs will be tested, profiled & characterised using Arctoris' automated drug discovery platform in Oxford to assess their efficacy in treating ALS. Once a promising molecule has been found and validated, the results will be published live for the scientific community to see. If there is no success in finding a lead molecule the results will still be published nonetheless in order to help move the field forward - learning together, fighting ALS together.
Arctoris
Martin-Immanuel Bittner, CEO Arctoris
“We are thrilled to work with our partners at GenieUs Genomics on this challenge – combining their machine learning with our end-to-end automated drug discovery platform. Over 12 weeks, we will increase our understanding of ALS, share our findings with the world, and do everything we can to find promising leads for new and better treatments. I firmly believe that together, we can accelerate the drug discovery process, and change patients’ lives for the better.”