Insilico AI-Designed Drug Targets Lung Fibrosis and Biological Aging

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive disease in which lung tissue becomes scarred, steadily impairing breathing and leaving patients with limited treatment options. Insilico Medicine used its generative artificial intelligence platform to identify TNIK, a target linked to both fibrosis and aging biology, and design the small-molecule drug Rentosertib. The program is a closely watched test of whether AI can shorten the costly, years-long process of discovering new medicines.

Clinical trial results showed Rentosertib improved measures of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis while reducing patients’ estimated biological age by three to four years, according to Insilico, though the anti-aging finding requires confirmation in larger studies. The company selected the drug candidate just 18 months after beginning target discovery. Rentosertib has entered a Phase III trial in China, with a potential market launch as early as 2030 if the study and regulatory review are successful.