– The collaboration will use AI to identify potential biological targets and therapies that could be repurposed for dengue to prevent disease progression

– Dengue is a climate-sensitive neglected disease and one of the top ten global public health threats, with an estimated 390 million infections each year. There is no effective treatment available

– BenevolentAI has a proven track record of using its AI platform to accelerate lifesaving research, having identified a leading COVID-19 treatment in early 2020

LONDON, April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — BenevolentAI, a leading clinical-stage artificial intelligence (AI)-based drug discovery company, and Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative (DNDI), a non-profit research and development (R&D) organization focused on neglected diseases, today announced the launch of a joint research project to fight dengue fever, one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world.

While BenevolentAI’s R&D efforts are focused on using the Benevolent Platform™ – its powerful AI drug discovery platform – to discover and develop novel therapeutic candidates, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has developed bespoke drug reassignment workflows that allowed its researchers to identify an existing treatment that could be repurposed to treat COVID-19. BenevolentAI’s research prompted global clinical trials, which resulted in the drug being approved for emergency use by the FDA.

Benevolent’s AI-enhanced approach to be deployed in non-commercial collaboration with DNDIto provide a list of potential biological targets (proteins that can be targeted by a potential drug) and drug repositioning candidates that might be effective in preventing progression to severe dengue.

The project will combine the Benevolent Platform™ with DNDI’s expertise and global network of dengue partners to empower researchers to uncover insights they could not have found using human reasoning alone. Using a database built from diverse and independent data sources, such as scientific literature, patents, genetics, chemistry, clinical trial data and more, BenevolentAI and DND scientistsI will use AI tools to interrogate the underlying mechanisms involved in dengue, better formulate hypotheses, and rapidly identify targets or therapies that could be redirected to prevent progression to severe dengue.

The most promising drug candidates identified through the joint research project will then be tested in clinical trials in collaboration with partners from countries where dengue is endemic.

“There is no effective treatment for dengue and millions of patients around the world urgently need safe, effective, affordable and accessible treatment options. Being able to apply cutting-edge AI technology in this partnership with BenevolentAI to help neglected patients opens up an exciting new opportunity to quickly identify promising drug candidates and later test them in clinical trials,” said Dr. Charles MoubrayDirector of Discovery at MDNI.”

While BenevolentAI’s internal R&D efforts focus on the discovery and development of new therapeutic candidates, outside of this core mission, BenevolentAI is committed to using its platform and scientific expertise to find drugs that could be rapidly repurposed. to meet urgent unmet medical needs, such as dengue fever.

“With the rapid spread of dengue fever and climate change expected to further intensify the impact and spread of the disease, it is all the more critical to accelerate the search for new treatment options,” he said. added. Anne Phelan, scientific director of BenevolentAI, commented. “The global scientific response to the COVID-19 pandemic and BenevolentAI’s research on COVID-19 provided a clear example of how AI can help us respond to pressing global health challenges. The extensive graph BenevolentAI’s integrated knowledge base coupled with our AI tools allows us to build a comprehensive representation of disease biology and accelerate the discovery of new treatments Our partnership with the DNDI builds on this approach, with the aim of meeting the urgent needs of patients and helping to relieve pressure on overstretched healthcare systems. »

Dengue is one of the top ten global public health threats worldwide. Despite around 390 million infections each year in more than 100 countries, no specific treatment is yet available. The World Health Organization (WHO) has pointed out that insect-borne pathogens, such as dengue fever, could lead to the next pandemic.

About BenevolentAI

BenevolentAI is a leading clinical-stage AI drug discovery company. With the combined capabilities of its AI platform, scientific expertise and wet lab facilities, BenevolentAI is well positioned to deliver novel drug candidates with a higher probability of clinical success than those developed using traditional methods. BenevolentAI has a steady track record of scientifically validated findings. The BenevolentAI Platform™ powers a growing internal pipeline of over 20 drug programs, ranging from target discovery to clinical studies, and maintains successful commercial collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies. BenevolentAI has also identified Eli Lilly’s baricitinib as a redirectable drug candidate for COVID-19, which has been cleared for emergency use by the FDA. BenevolentAI is headquartered in Londonwith a research center in Cambridge (United Kingdom) and another office in New York. For more information, visit their website.

About DNDI

A not-for-profit research and development organization, DNDI works to provide new treatments for neglected patients, those living with Chagas disease, sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), leishmaniasis, filarial infections, mycetoma, pediatric HIV and hepatitis C. MDNI is also coordinating a clinical trial to find treatments for mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in Africa. Since its creation in 2003, DNDIhas delivered nine new treatments to date, including new drug combinations for kala-azar, two fixed-dose antimalarials and DNDIsuccessfully developed a new chemical entity, fexinidazole, approved in 2018 for the treatment of both stages of sleeping sickness. For more information, visit their website.

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