Poolbeg Pharma signs Artificial Intelligence deal with CytoReason to identify drug targets for influenza

Poolbeg Pharma has signed a deal with CytoReason, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) company developing computational disease models for efficient drug discovery and development, to provide AI analysis of Poolbeg’s influenza disease progression data derived from human challenge study samples.

The partnership will harness the insights of Poolbeg’s unique repository of influenza human challenge trial data and is another significant milestone in its strategy to leverage its proprietary databank to identify new pharmaceutical assets using artificial intelligence.

The partnership will bring Poolbeg’s unique repository of clinical samples and associated data from influenza human challenge trials together with CytoReason’s leading and validated AI technology.

This will enable a deep understanding of the mechanism of influenza infection and recovery and, as a result, help identify novel drug targets for the disease.

Poolbeg’s datasets for influenza are already tailored for incorporation into CytoReason’s platform algorithms.

Both CytoReason and the Company are excited about the unique and novel disease-relevant insights, which have the potential to transform how influenza is currently treated.

The project is due to commence immediately with a full work programme already agreed upon, and the first results are expected in H1 2023.

CytoReason’s machine learning algorithm works by combing through enormous repositories of clinical data to build models of human disease, which can then be used by biotech and pharmaceutical partners to identify novel targets, prioritise mono/combination therapies, find biomarkers, and understand which patients will benefit most from those new treatments.

CytoReason will build a tailored AI model using its existing clinical data in conjunction with Poolbeg’s human challenge data to maximise the insights generated.

As a result, CytoReason will be able to prioritise new drug targets quickly and cost effectively, in a manner consistent with Poolbeg’s business model.

Based on the target identification insights generated from the analysis, the Company plans to source drugs with existing Phase I safety data that can immediately continue clinical development to rapidly generate early human proof of concept data for influenza, with the ultimate aim of monetising the asset through partnerships and licensing deals with pharma and biotech.

This is the first time that AI analysis has been undertaken on influenza human challenge disease progression data and samples.

Data from human challenge studies are unique in that they track a healthy subject through the disease to recovery in carefully controlled and monitored isolation units, collecting samples throughout the course of the disease, and vitally collecting matched baseline and follow-up samples before and after infection.

CytoReason will be analysing blood transcriptomics, proteomics, DNA sequences and viral loads and disease signs and symptoms from the human challenge studies.

Jeremy Skillington, PhD, CEO of Poolbeg Pharma, said: “This exciting deal is all about creating opportunities. Opportunities to unlock the potential of our unique bank of human challenge data.

“Opportunities to develop drugs for infectious disease more quickly and cost effectively. And opportunities to tackle the growing global threat of influenza.

“This is the first time AI analysis will be undertaken on influenza human challenge trial data and we look forward to the results early next year.

“We are delighted to be working with such an industry-leading partner as CytoReason and using cutting-edge AI technology as we continue to develop and progress our innovative infectious disease drug pipeline.”

David Harel, CytoReason’s CEO, said: “We are excited about the potential of Poolbeg’s data and are delighted to be the first AI company to analyse Influenza human challenge data.

“Our top-tier scientists, along with our platform of computational disease models, will enable Poolbeg to significantly shorten the drug discovery time for Influenza treatments, dramatically reduce the costs involved, and ultimately help more patients.”