Insilico Medicine to Utilize Deep Learning for Drug Repurposing and Discovery in Cancer and Age-Related Disease

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Insilico

MACHINE LEARNING USE CASE

A machine-learning technique that has already given computers the ability to recognize speech and categorize images will now be utilized in the ongoing fight against cancer and other age-related diseases. Insilico Medicine, a bioinformatics company dedicated to drug discovery for cancer and aging, has launched its proprietary DeepPharma (TM) platform. DeepPharma utilizes the latest advances in deep learning to improve computer analysis of massive structured multi-omics data banks and millions of tissue-specific pathway activation profiles.

Insilico’s data scientists will manage DeepPharma using Nvidia GPUs (graphics processing units). NVIDIA has morphed its GPU architecture into a powerful engine for calculating deep learning neural networks. NVIDIA and its deep learning networks have been implemented in many industries, including gaming, computer security, and stock trading. Now the technology will be used to help data scientists in drug discovery, including those at Insilco Medicine. In March, 2015, Insilico was selected as one of the 12 finalists out of over 160 contestants in the NVIDIA GPU Technology Challenge at the 2015 GPU Technology Conference.

Using NVIDIA GPUs, our DeepPharma platform allows us to apply deep learning techniques to our multi-omics intracellular signaling analysis in both personalized medicine and drug repurposing,” said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, CEO of Insilico Medicine.

Dr. Zhavoronkov plans to integrate his deep learning platform for drug discovery with each of his R&D teams. Insilico has teams of Anti-aging data scientists in Russia, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Poland, and the US, with R&D collaborations in Canada, Israel, Switzerland, and China.

Other milestones in deep learning achieved by Insilico Medicine include:

  • In March Insilico was selected as one of the 12 finalists out of over 160 contestants at the NVIDIA GPU Technology Challenge and presented at NVIDIA GTC.
  • NVIDIA provided Insilico with top of the line TESLA K80 GPUs and its latest DIGITS DevBox platform for deep learning.
  • Insilico Medicine is one of the first companies in the world to receive NVIDIA DIGITS DevBox.
  • Insilico Medicine presented the first drug repurposing results to Novartis in Switzerland on May 29th.
  • Insilico Medicine supported a Russia-wide bioinformatics hackathon in April, where it challenged young scientists to use NVIDIA dual-Titan X system for normalizing gene expression data.
  • Together with Novartis Insilico Medicine is organizing a forum at the Basel Life Science Week (Sept 21-24th), where it will present its deep learning technology for classifying signaling pathways involved in aging and age-related diseases.

 

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