Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma and Exscientia Take AI-Designed DSP-1181 Into a Phase I Trial for OCD

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma and Exscientia announced on 30 January 2020 that a phase I clinical study of DSP-1181, a drug candidate created using AI, had started in Japan, with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as the initial indication. DSP-1181 is being developed as a long-acting and potent serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist. The compound came out of joint research in which Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma contributed its experience in monoamine GPCR drug discovery, which targets G protein-coupled receptors whose natural ligands are neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, and Exscientia applied its Centaur Chemist AI platform for drug discovery. According to the companies, the project needed less than 12 months to complete the exploratory research phase, a fraction of the typical average of 4.5 years with conventional research techniques. "Exscientia's sophisticated AI drug discovery technologies combined with our company's deep experience in monoamine GPCR drug discovery, allowed us to work synergistically," said Toru Kimura, senior executive research director at Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma. Exscientia chief executive Andrew Hopkins called the entry of DSP-1181 into clinical studies a key milestone in drug discovery and said the rapid success came from aligning Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma's chemistry and pharmacology knowledge with Exscientia's AI technologies. For Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, the candidate expanded its development pipeline in psychiatry and neurology, one of its three focus research areas. The release describes the start of a clinical study rather than an approved or marketed medicine.