Yale-backed study to test efficacy of AI-selected therapy in COVID-19
pharmafile | July 28, 2020 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development |Â Â AI, COVID-19, clinical trial, pharmaÂ
Biopharma firm AI Therapeutics is partnering with Yale School of Medicine to launch a new clinical trial to identify the efficacy of a drug selected using artificial intelligence (AI) in the treatment of COVID-19 infection.
The candidate to be trialled, LAM-002A (apilimod), was selected from a pool of over 13,000 existing drugs after AI Therapeutics’ proprietary AI algorithm identified it as the most effective against two live strains of SARS-CoV-2.
The therapy has been shown in previous testing to effectively work against infection with the virus in human lung cells. It has also shown efficacy in follicular lymphoma, and has secured Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations from the FDA in this indication.
“LAM-002A’s safety has been demonstrated in more than 700 healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory and malignant conditions. It is one of the most potent drugs in pre-clinical tests against SARS-CoV-2,” explained Dr Murat Gunel, chair of Neurosurgery and Professor of Neurosurgery, Genetics, and Neuroscience at Yale University. “Its safety profile and effectiveness provide a strong rationale for urgently evaluating this drug in COVID-19 patients, who have few options to slow the progression of the disease.”
Enrolment for the Phase 2 study has now been launched by the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, with the goal of recruiting up to 142 patients. It will seek to identify the safety and efficacy of LAM-002A in reducing viral load in COVID-19 patients, as well as its impact on mortality and hospitalisation rates.
Matt Fellows
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