Insilico Medicine nominates the winner of documentary hackathon to raise awareness of AI drug discovery through scientific storytelling

After receiving more than 90 submissions from 14 countries with a wide range of perspectives and reviewing them in parallel with an internal working group and external professional judges, Insilico Medicine has nominated the winners of the Docuthon, a documentary hackathon initiated by the company aimed at raising awareness of AI in drug discovery through scientific storytelling.

The event is based on over 60 hours and 200GB of high-quality in-house video footage provided by Insilico, which highlights the history of the discovery and development of the first drug candidates through generative AI and includes exclusive interviews with key opinion leaders. By sharing the footage, Insilico aimed to invite students, filmmakers, and enthusiasts around the world to dive into the process of developing the world’s first AI drug, show the process of AI-driven drug discovery, fulfill the potential of generative AI, and further inspire the younger generation, from the industry to the general public, to join the discourse of revolution in healthcare.

Docuthon was officially launched as “One More Thing,” presented by Insilico at the virtual update event for the company’s Pharma.AI platform in December 2022. The event was also supported by an all-star judging panel that included multiple Emmy winners Laila Kazmi and Oren Rosenfeld, Tribeca Film Festival Best Director and acclaimed storyteller Taryn Southern, documentary filmmaker Alvaro A. Ricciardelli and Amelia M. Hemphill, who has a portfolio of work for the BBC, as well as the founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD.

By the deadline, the event had attracted more than 90 registrations from around the world. Ultimately, eight submissions from the U.S, China, Afghanistan, and India were selected as finalists by Insilico’s internal working group, and an all-star panel of judges picked the final winners at the end of May 2024. The winners include “Exploring the Future of Medicine,” “Coding the Impossible Cure,” “AI Unleashed,” and “Insilico Robotics Lab.” Over the following weeks, the organizer will announce the winning entries via the official social media accounts.

“From examining the rapid achievements of AI in drug discovery (AIDD) to exploring the motivations and complexities behind the science, each documentary brings a unique voice to this revolutionary field,” said Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine. “Our journey of perseverance and innovation over the past four years is well represented in these documentaries. They transform the complex behind-the-scenes tasks into engaging, relatable art. I believe they will not only showcase what has been accomplished, but also inspire a broader discussion about the role of AI in healthcare.”

Insilico Medicine envisions a future where dialogue among filmmakers, technologists, scientists, and the public happens more frequently. This cross-pollination of ideas and perspectives has the potential to break down silos, drive the advancement of technology and create new opportunities for collaboration. We thank all the participants of the event and will continue to design and conduct this kind of event and work on increasing awareness of AI.

Founded in 2014, Insilico Medicine is a pioneer in using generative AI for drug discovery and development. Insilico first described the concept of using generative AI for the design of novel molecules in a peer-reviewed journal in 2016, which laid the foundation for the commercially available Pharma.AI platform spanning across biology, chemistry and clinical development. Powered by Pharma.AI, Insilico has nominated 18 preclinical candidates in its comprehensive portfolio of over 30 assets since 2021, and has received IND approval for 7 molecules.Recently, the company published a paper in Nature Biotechnology presents the entire R&D journey of its lead drug pipeline, INS018_055, from AI algorithms to Phase II clinical trials.

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a global clinical stage biotechnology company powered by generative AI, is connecting biology, chemistry and clinical trials analysis using next-generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers and other modern machine learning techniques for novel target discovery and the generation of novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is developing breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and aging-related diseases. www.insilico.com