e-Therapeutics PLC (AIM:ETX, OTCQX:ETXPF) has long been at the vanguard of computational drug discovery.
Now, chief executive Ali Mortazavi has signalled the company’s intent to use Open AI’s GPT large language model (LLM) to further automate the quest to find new drug targets, notably in the area of gene silencing.
Specifically, he wants to transform and leverage its current technology HepNet using artificial intelligence.
“By placing LLMs at the core of our computation and harnessing GPT-4's capabilities, we can now create specialised LLM 'agents' which will transform HepNet into a dynamic knowledge resource,” Mortazavi said in commentary accompanying e-therapeutics prelims.
“GPT-4 and LLM integration will provide a unifying framework from which to drive every aspect of our pipeline and position e-Therapeutics as a global leader in hepatocyte biology and related diseases.
“Our long-term vision is to fully automate the preclinical drug discovery process, using GPT-4 and LLMs to access real-time information and interface with external applications, ultimately accelerating the development of life-saving treatments.
“Through our computational approach, we have been able to generate a multitude of potential target hypotheses and progress an in-house pipeline. Given our established position in computational drug discovery, we are ideally positioned to capitalise on this opportunity and look forward to the future with great confidence,” he added.
In a busy year, e-therapeutics said it had made significant strides in its RNAi strategy, developing an expanding in-house pipeline of early candidates using the HepNet computational platform. The company said it is actively addressing high-need medical areas, with a focus on cardiometabolic diseases.
It has also filed patents for eight inventions stemming from its proprietary GalNAc-siRNA technology, GalOmic.
Additionally, the drug developer has announced a collaboration with iTeos Therapeutics in immuno-oncology, and successfully completed a partnership with Galapagos in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, demonstrating its ability to identify effective therapeutic strategies and targets.
Turning to the financials, e-therapeutics posted an operating loss of £10.2mln for the 12 months ended January 31, 2023, after investing £7.2mln in its research and development activities. More importantly, it exited the year well-financed with £31.7mln in the bank.