MindRank recently made the list of 2022 China's Top 10 Most Potential ScienceAI Startups by Synced.
Launched in 2017, the&nbsp;Synced Machine Intelligence Awards&nbsp;are the largest and most authoritative annual awards platform in China. The selections are also of great interest across the international machine learning community.
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The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="https://www.jiqizhixin.com/awards/2022#awards-4">https://www.jiqizhixin.com/awards/2022#awards-4</a>
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MindRank Made the List of 2022 China's Top 10 Most Potential ScienceAI Startups by Synced

Delighted to announce that we won awards of 2022 Venture50 Newseed List and Healthcare Industry List by Zero2IPO Group and PEdaily. Venture50 was founded by Zero2IPO Group in 2006. With almost 17 years of experience, this award has become the investment value bellwether of China's high-growth companies. 
The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="https://news.pedaily.cn/202301/506769.shtml">https://news.pedaily.cn/202301/506769.shtml</a>
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MindRank was Nominated for the 2022 Venture50 List by Zero2IPO Group and Pedaily

The original news link:
<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mindrank-announces-us-fda-clearance-of-ind-application-for-mdr-001-a-novel-glp-1-receptor-agonist-for-the-treatment-of-type-2-diabetes-and-obesity-301709952.html">MindRank Announces U.S. FDA Clearance of IND Application for MDR-001, a Novel GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity (prnewswire.com)</a>
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SHANGHAI&nbsp;and&nbsp;HANGZHOU, China,&nbsp;Dec. 26, 2022&nbsp;/PRNewswire/ -- MindRank, an artificial intelligence (AI)-empowered drug discovery company, announces today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for MDR-001, an oral small-molecule glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), respectively. MindRank expects to initiate a Phase I safety study in the first quarter of 2023.
Empowered by Mindrank's proprietary AI drug discovery platform, Molecule Pro&trade;, it just took the company 19 months to obtain the IND approval since the MDR-001 program was initiated. With fewer than 100 chemical compounds synthesized and tested, the preclinical candidate was discovered.
"By facilitating novel small molecule drug design with desired drug-like properties, we believe our AI platform can significantly improve the pre-clinical R&amp;D efficiency. The FDA IND approval of MDR-001 is a solid validation for the potential of our AI platform." commented Zhangming Niu, CEO of MindRank. This heralds the transition of MindRank from a discovery-stage to a clinical-stage AI-empowered biotechnology company.
About MDR-001
MDR-001 is a novel, orally bioavailable small-molecule GLP-1 RA discovered using MindRank's proprietary AI platform, Molecule Pro&trade;. In the comprehensive preclinical studies, MDR-001 has demonstrated excellent functional potency and selectivity, with favorable ADME properties and oral bioavailability, as well as desirable pharmacokinetics and tolerability. MDR-001's superior preclinical efficacy and safety profiles indicate its best-in-class potential for Obesity and T2DM indications with large unmet medical needs.
About MindRank
MindRank is an artificial intelligence (AI)-empowered drug discovery company. By leveraging its proprietary AI platform, Molecule Pro, the company aims to significantly accelerate the drug discovery process and deliver small molecule drugs with desirable efficacy and safety profiles.

MindRank Announces U.S. FDA Clearance of IND Application for MDR-001, a Novel GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity

The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="https://www.vbdata.cn/1518886971">https://www.vbdata.cn/1518886971</a>
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MindRank was Nominated "the TOP100 Most Innovative Medical Technology Products (Solutions) 2022" by VBDATA

The original news link:
<a href="https://www.galengrowth.com/healthtech-250/">https://www.galengrowth.com/healthtech-250/</a>
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MindRank Features in the 2022 Galen Growth | Global HealthTech Insights HealthTech 250 List

Delighted to see Molecule Pro, the artificial intelligence drug discovery platform of MindRank, is awarded the 4th China Health Innovation Platform (CHIP) Award. The CHIP award is billed as the Oscar in China&rsquo;s health care sector, aims to encourage and recognize China&rsquo;s innovative projects which enhance value and have significant impact to social and economic development. We look forward our AIDD technology to continue delivering more value in full cycle of the industry chain.
The original news link in Chinese: <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hsu10vfzBQhgbdTKKawzfw">https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hsu10vfzBQhgbdTKKawzfw</a>
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MindRank is Awarded the 4th China Health Innovation Platform Award

<img src="https://api.site.mindrank.ai/v1/files/4c13ad9f-ab52-42bc-b10c-bec159033869" alt="" width="650" height="317" />
Recently, our paper entitled &lsquo;HeTDR: Drug repositioning based on heterogeneous networks and text mining&lsquo; received the 2021 Chinese Scientists with Cell Press Best Paper Award.
The original paper link:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666389921001501">HeTDR: Drug repositioning based on heterogeneous networks and text mining</a>
The original news link in Chinese: <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/XYmjOTWCc6oqiBnStycJsQ">https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/XYmjOTWCc6oqiBnStycJsQ</a>
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MindRank’s Co-Authorship Paper Won the 2021 Chinese Scientists with Cell Press Best Paper Award

<div class="post-guide" data-v-875dc7c4="">
Starting from September 2022, EqualOcean had been conducting deep market research and expert interviews aiming to select out 30 most representative China-based companies in the AI Health sector. It is finally officially finalized, and we give our deep and sincere congratulations to those 30 companies and wish them all the best in the future. The 30 companies with the most growth and development potential in the field of AI healthcare in China in 2022 will be selected.
</div>
<div class="post-thumbnail" data-v-875dc7c4=""><img class="aligncenter" src="https://diting-hetu-en.iyiou.com/16678085642462.jpg?imageView2/1/w/900/h/600/format/jpg" alt="ai health" width="700" data-v-875dc7c4="" /></div>
<div class="post-body" data-v-875dc7c4="">
&lsquo;AI Health&rsquo; or &lsquo;AI in Health&rsquo; can be simply defined as the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the medical and healthcare fields. To be specific, from the basic medical record management to the tedious and repetitive processes like medical imaging, to the hard novel drug target discovery, all can be assisted by AI technology. The employment of AI in healthcare fields does not only reduce costs, improve efficiency but also can promote the equalization of quality medical resources in China.&nbsp;
The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held in October 2022 also mentioned about "Building a healthy China" which included "promoting the expansion of quality medical resources and the balanced distribution of regional distribution, strengthening the health management of major chronic diseases, and improving the community-level capacity of disease prevention and treatment and health management".
In addition, China has a large population base which allows for the generation of large amount of medical data and worldwide top-tanking AI scientific research output and achievement. These natural advantages establish the solid foundation for the development of AI Health industry in China and nourish a batch of local AI medical and health innovation enterprises.&nbsp;
At the same time, as an emerging force in the global biomedical and medical technology industry, China's development in the field of AI Health can also provide insights into the development trend and direction of the global AI Health industry.
Based on the above, EqualOcean released the "China AI Health 30 List 2022", which focuses on six sub-sectors: AI+ drug discovery, AI+ medical imaging, AI+ surgery robotics, AI+ disease diagnosis and treatment, AI+ health management, and AI+ Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS).&nbsp;
The selection criteria were set on the following four dimensions: talent background, R&amp;D capability, technical level, product and service capability:
1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The distribution of different levels of working experience of R&amp;D personnel and management personnel.
2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The proportion of employees with AI+medical interdisciplinary backgrounds, the proportion of employees with doctor's degree or above, and the proportion with overseas background.
3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The distinct features of database, the number of patents obtained, the quality of publications, and international R&amp;D collaborations.
4)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Types and numbers of collaborations or partnerships.
In the end, EqualOcean successfully shortlisted 30 companies with outstanding performance in the six segments above. The list is as follows:
<img title="16678082071613.png" src="https://api.site.mindrank.ai/v1/files/aa4e2aa2-550a-44b9-80ce-664585142238" alt="China AI Health 30.png.png" width="700" />
The top three sub-sectors with the most companies on the list are: AI+ medical imaging (seven), AI+ drug discovery (six) and AI+ medical robotics (five).
</div>

MindRank Features in EqualOcean 2022 China AI Health 30 Companies List

The original paper link:&nbsp;
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202203796">Pre-Training of Equivariant Graph Matching Networks with Conformation Flexibility for Drug Binding | Advanced Science</a>
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The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="https://news.sina.com.cn/sx/2022-10-14/detail-imqmmthc0875982.shtml">Advanced Science | 首创引入蛋白动态信息的AI模型，高效预测药物-蛋白亲和力</a>
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Advanced Science | Pre-Training of Equivariant Graph Matching Networks with Conformation Flexibility for Drug Binding

The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5qWyr5r8WaHzqWgBsAVVFQ">https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5qWyr5r8WaHzqWgBsAVVFQ</a>
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Chemexpress (SHA:688131) and MindRank Announces a New Milestone Achievement on AI-assisted Chemical Synthesis

The original news link in Chinese: 
<a href="http://www.pharmadj.com/cms/detail.htm?item.id=759ca1e21f5f11edaf35fa163e42049a">http://www.pharmadj.com/cms/detail.htm?item.id=759ca1e21f5f11edaf35fa163e42049a</a>
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MindRank Announces Milestone Achievement in Antengene (6996.HK) Collaboration on Discovery of Dual-Target Lead Compounds

A famous Chinese poem says, "The most important thing is that the world can't be preserved, while the vermillion and the mirror are the same as the flower and the tree." Just as nothing in the world can be preserved indefinitely, aging is an unstoppable natural process. However, appropriate scientific methods can interfere with the aging process and lifespan to a certain extent.
The Ernst &amp; Young Academy has thus organized an &lsquo;EXPERT DIALOGUE&rsquo; by inviting a number of experts in related fields to have an in depth discussion around topics including ageing, autophagy, mitophagy, AI, and drug development for extension of healthy longevity and for related neurodegenerative diseases.
The invited experts include:
<ul>
<li>Prof. Dr. David Rubinsztein (academician, UK), University of Cambridge</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Prof. Dr. Vilhelm Bohr (academician, Denmark and Norway), NIA and University of Copenhagen</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Associate Prof. Dr. Evandro Fei Fang, University of Oslo</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Zhangming Niu, Founder of MindRank AI</li>
</ul>
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Q1: Can you briefly introduce the "autophagy mechanism" for us?
Expert consensus: In every cell in the human body, thousands of DNA and protein damage events occur every day. If this damage accumulates in cells in the brain, it will lead to the development and occurrence of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Autophagy, also known as the "self-eating" of&lsquo;cellular garbage&rsquo; within a cell, is the process by which cells degrade damaged proteins, organelles, etc. Autophagy maintains the balance of cell structure, metabolism and function in the healthy body. Several studies have suggested that occurrence and development of various age-related diseases, such as AD and Parkinson&rsquo;s disease, may be associated with autophagy defects. Autophagy is not a new topic in medicine. In 2016, Dr Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel prize for his work in describing the process of autophagy, and how it can slow the process of ageing. In January of this year, Nature featured a special Issue on Ageing wherein the latest developments around Autophagy in anti-aging research were presented. In that issue, Nature highlighted the ability to &ldquo;turn up&rdquo; autophagy as a novel and feasible therapy for ageing and age-related diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases like AD and Parkinson&rsquo;s. It also mentioned the large translational effort that has been ongoing to develop autophagy/mitophagy stimulators as drug candidates by some international pharmaceutical companies and AI drug discovery companies.
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Q2: What is the current progress and status of anti-aging drug research and development worldwide, and what are the challenges/problems?
Expert consensus: Ageing research and the use of our scientific knowledge of ageing to develop anti-ageing molecules are hot topics. There are many scientific research institutions and companies working on the molecular mechanisms of ageing and the screening of anti-ageing drugs. One of the most critical challenges is the development of safe and bioavailable molecules as drug candidates for ageing and age-related diseases.
Rubinsztein says, &ldquo;Such drugs will likely need to be taken in younger people to slow ageing. Thus, they will need to be safe and well-tolerated but also be generally beneficial.&rdquo;
&ldquo;There are tremendous opportunities at this time. The challenge is to find interventions with beneficial long-term effects and minimal side effects.&rdquo; Bohr adds.
Expert consensus: To note, we would like to point out that the focus on ageing as a phenotype risks missing the point that most people don't die of ageing but die from ageing-associated diseases. This distinction is important. We need to understand the diseases, ageing, and the roles that ageing plays in disease. These are distinct but connected challenges.
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Q3: How can we precisely target senescent cells and avoid potential adverse effects?
Expert consensus: Ten molecular mechanisms (hallmarks) of biological ageing have been proposed: DNA damage, telomere attrition, epigenetic alternations, mitochondrial dysfunction, deregulated nutrient-sensing, stem cell exhaustion, altered cellular communication, loss of proteostasis, cellular senescence, and compromised autophagy. The development of many anti-aging strategies are targeting on one or more of these biological hallmarks.
Senescence is a cellular a process by which a cell ages and permanently stops dividing but does not die. There is an age-related accumulation of senescent cells, and the accumulation of these cells may contribute to the development of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease. In order to target the elimination of senescent cells specifically, scientists are developing strategies to either eradicate them (senolytic therapy) and/or reverse their transition from the senescent stage to a normal stage (senomorphic therapy).
While we are cautiously optimistic on targeting senescent cells as a potential strategy to minimize age-related side effects, many obstacles exist.
Rubinsztein explains, &ldquo;There are several complexities that need to be considered with anti-senescence strategies. First, senescence has different biological effects in different tissues. Second, many of the strategies used to target senescence are non-specific and have pleiotropic effects. Third, senescence can have beneficial effects in certain contexts (e.g. cancers, wound healing). Fourth, it is difficult to disentangle cause and effect in some human scenarios involving senescence.&rdquo;
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Q4: Turning up autophagy is a hot-studied strategy in treating pathological ageing and age-related diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases. What are the current status and future perspectives towards autophagy stimulation strategy on ageing and neurodegeneration?
Expert consensus: Autophagy is the cellular clearance process that cells use to eliminate damaged or unwanted sub-cellular components, and it is important for cellular homeostasis and healthy longevity. One such process, termed selective autophagy, targets the elimination of damaged mitochondria and so is commonly called &lsquo;mitochondrial autophagy&rsquo; (or &ldquo;mitophagy&rdquo;). Both autophagy and mitophagy are reduced during ageing in the brain, as well as likely in other tissues. Thus, turning up autophagy has been experimentally validated in as a powerful strategy in treating age-related diseases especially neurodegenerative diseases in model organisms. Exactly 20 years ago, the Rubinsztein laboratory was the first one worldwide who demonstrated the neuroprotective benefits of autophagy. Over the past decades, as our understanding of the mechanisms of autophagy has expanded, new strategies targeting on different stages of autophagy (or its sub-type, like mitophagy) in fighting against ageing and treating age-related diseases have shown significant progress. Some of the examples were highlighted in the recent special issue of ageing in Nature (topic on autophagy).
Fang says, &ldquo;My lab is working on the molecular mechanisms behind compromised mitophagy in ageing and Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease. We have uncovered different mechanisms that may drive compromised mitophagy in ageing and Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, as well as identifying drugs that induce mitophagy, many of which show the capacity to extend lifespan and retain memory in animal models of ageing and Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease.&rdquo;
Bohr also adds, &ldquo;The idea of stimulating mitophagy to treat diseases of neurodegeneration with mitophagy stimulating compounds is very promising and clinical trial are under way. NAD+ induces mitophagy, a major discovery we made when Evandro Fang was a postdoc in my laboratory (in NIH). NAD+ supplementation can in some cases clear senescent cells, so such intervention can also have senolytic effects and this is a promising approach because there are few or no side effects of NAD+ supplementation. With any drug treatment, adverse effects are not uncommon. Strategies that help us to identify robust, active molecules that are able to effect change in the cells, as well as the use of various lab-based approaches to exclude &lsquo;toxic&rsquo; and &lsquo;non-specific&rsquo; molecules, are important techniques to help us reduce unsuitable drug candidates when moving to clinical stage.&rdquo;
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Q5: Will anti-aging-related drug R&amp;D breakthroughs be achieved due to the discovery of new targets or biological mechanisms?
Expert consensus: Yes, indeed. All the major anti-ageing strategies are &lsquo;mechanism&rsquo; driven. For example, mechanistic studies of autophagy have propelled the development of new screening strategies to identify autophagy inducers.
Bohr says, &ldquo;In part it is based on currently known targets or mechanisms. Recent work has shown that some pathways that have been known for a while, but are recently much better understood, can be targets for intervention. One such is the cGAS-Sting system that recognizes foreign DNA and which is activated in Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease and Parkinson&rsquo;s disease as well as in viral infections. Interventions are being developed that counter this signaling, an example of an intervention based on a current pathway.&rdquo;
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Q6: How do you view the prospects of AI with anti-aging drug research and development, and what changes can the introduction of AI bring to the existing problems of anti-aging drug development?
Expert consensus: In view of challenges such as time, cost, and complexity, it is natural to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and mechanistic studies to improve the drug development process.
Bohr says, &ldquo;I have limited knowledge of AI drug research but it has tremendous promise.&rdquo;
Fang adds, &ldquo;Recently, I led a multi-institutional study using AI coupled with &ldquo;wet laboratory&rdquo; validation to identify mitophagy inducers. From amongst a total of 3,200 compounds, we were able to identify 18 top-scoring compounds using AI, and 2 of them went on to be validated as potent mitophagy inducers in both cells and mice. The AI part of this study was in collaboration with Zhangming Niu at MindRank AI. Thus, we are truly aware of and believe in the importance of AI for broad applications in the anti-aging fields.&rdquo;
Niu says, First of all, my main background is not biology. "Anti-aging drugs" are a large range, and many chronic diseases are related to aging. The content I describe below only involves the "anti-aging drugs" related to neurodegenerative diseases (such as ALS, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease).
"Professor Fang Fei mentioned that one of our research results was published in the journal Nature biomedical engineering. We have greatly reduced the cost and cycle of compound discovery through machine learning. For example, can we better understand the biological mechanism, biomarker, and target pathway of Alzheimer's, ALS, and other diseases through the knowledge map, and help scientists design better preclinical and clinical trials." Niu Zhangming says.
&nbsp;
Q7: What are the constructive theoretical guidelines for the related industries from the current academic research on AI-driven anti-aging drug development?
Expert consensus: As we mentioned in Q3, the 10 hallmarks of ageing are one set of guidelines. The majority of the strategies, if not all, target only one or a few of these hallmarks.
Rubinsztein explains, &ldquo;In future, AI-driven drug discovery will be able to rely increasingly on progress in being able to use AI and computational methods to infer protein structures, protein-protein interactions and protein-drug interactions.&rdquo;
Niu: &ldquo;Agree with what academician Rubinsztein mentioned. It is hoped that knowledge graph and AI image recognition technology related to single cell sequencing can boost the progress of the industry.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Q8: As the process of anti-aging drug R&amp;D in academia and industry continues to advance, can we look forward to a future in which human body quality and survival lifespan can be greatly improved and extended?
Expert consensus: Absolutely. Taking advantage of our great healthcare systems,improved techniques, healthy lifestyles, and the use of dietary supplements or drugs that could slow down ageing, the future will be bright with improved quality of life (extended healthspan) worldwide.
Rubinsztein says, &ldquo;The key objective is to enhance quality of lifespan.&rdquo;
Bohr adds, &ldquo;I think there are perspectives for healthspan increase, not really for lifetime increase.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
EY perspective 
After entering the exploration at the cellular level and even the molecular level, anti-aging research shows exciting diversity and possibilities. Whether drug design is carried out through targets or molecular mechanisms, or using artificial intelligence to drive more efficient research and development of anti-aging drugs, we can see that human beings continue to use science and technology to extend their own boundaries while seeking their own meaning. We pay tribute to the scientific research team dedicated to this work for the benefit of all mankind. We also hope to connect more like-minded people through our professional services and leave their mark in this great cause. 
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References and further reading 
<ul>
<li>Dolgin, E. The biological clean-ups that could combat age-related disease. Nature 601, S15-S17 (2022).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Wei X, Li M, Zheng Z, et al. Senescence in chronic wounds and potential targeted therapies. Burns Trauma. 2022;10:tkab045. Published 2022 Feb 17. doi:10.1093/burnst/tkab045</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Park SJ, Frake RA, Karabiyik C, et al. Vinexin contributes to autophagic decline in brain ageing across species [published online ahead of print, 2021 Nov 30]. Cell Death Differ. 2021;10.1038/s41418-021-00903-y. doi:10.1038/s41418-021-00903-y</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Fleming A, Bourdenx M, Fujimaki M, et al. The different autophagy degradation pathways and neurodegeneration [published online ahead of print, 2022 Jan 31]. Neuron. 2022;S0896-6273(22)00056-3. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2022.01.017</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ravikumar B, Duden R, Rubinsztein DC. Aggregate-prone proteins with polyglutamine and polyalanine expansions are degraded by autophagy. Hum Mol Genet. 2002;11(9):1107-1117. doi:10.1093/hmg/11.9.1107</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Webb JL, Ravikumar B, Atkins J, Skepper JN, Rubinsztein DC. Alpha-Synuclein is degraded by both autophagy and the proteasome. J Biol Chem. 2003;278(27):25009-25013. doi:10.1074/jbc.M300227200</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ravikumar B, Vacher C, Berger Z, et al. Inhibition of mTOR induces autophagy and reduces toxicity of polyglutamine expansions in fly and mouse models of Huntington disease. Nat Genet. 2004;36(6):585-595. doi:10.1038/ng1362</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Aman Y, Schmauck-Medina T, Hansen M, et al. Autophagy in healthy aging and disease. Nat Aging. 2021;1(8):634-650. doi:10.1038/s43587-021-00098-4</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Xie C, Zhuang XX, Niu Z, et al. Amelioration of Alzheimer's disease pathology by mitophagy inducers identified via machine learning and a cross-species workflow. Nat Biomed Eng. 2022;6(1):76-93. doi:10.1038/s41551-021-00819-5</li>
</ul>

Expert Dialogue | Deciphering the Aging Code, Compromised Autophagy Comes into Focus

The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="https://i.ifeng.com/c/8DWIVQHnFid">https://i.ifeng.com/c/8DWIVQHnFid</a>

Chemexpress (SHA:688131) and MindRank strengthen cooperation in AI-enabled Drug Discovery

The original news link:
<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mindrank-begins-ind-enabling-studies-of-its-first-ai-designed-drug-8-months-after-program-initiation-301462526.html">MindRank Begins IND-enabling Studies of its first AI-designed Drug, 8 Months After Program Initiation (prnewswire.com)</a>
<img src="https://api.site.mindrank.ai/v1/files/45c0fe3a-c9bb-45ae-83f9-30fb8f3f3957" alt="" width="1080" height="459" />
MindRank AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) driven biotech company, today announced that the company has nominated a preclinical candidate (PCC) for a class B GPCR drug target&nbsp;within&nbsp;8 Months of Program Initiation. Historically, the development of small-molecule agonists of class B GPCRs has been proven particularly challenging.
Empowered by Mindrank&rsquo;s proprietary AI drug discovery platform, Molecule Pro, fewer than 100 proprietary compounds were synthesized and tested, and some of them have undergone extensive characterization both in vitro and in vivo. MindRank&rsquo;s team has identified several drug candidates with potential for best-in-class characteristics for multiple chronic disease indications with large unmet medical needs. The drug candidates have excellent functional potency and selectivity, favorable ADME properties and oral bioavailability, desirable pharmacokinetics, and safety profiles. They also showed robust preclinical efficacy and good tolerability in several disease-relevant animal models.
This is the second drug candidate that has initiated investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies since the company&rsquo;s inception within less than one year. MindRank has successfully delivered an allosteric inhibitor PCC with best-in-class potential within a few months since the program was initiated as a collaboration with a publicly-traded biotech company, which started IND-enabling studies in September 2021.
&ldquo;Our platform has greatly improved the efficiency of drug discovery. We strive to push the boundaries of AI for drug discovery by continuous innovations,&rdquo; commented Zhangming Niu, Founder, and CEO of MindRank.
The Mindrank team includes senior medicinal chemists, molecular biologists, and AI drug research and development experts. The team members have successfully discovered 16 targets and led multiple drug pipelines into clinical trials, some of which have been listed. In 2021, MindRank has completed an Angle round of 45 million Yuan and Series A round financing of tens of millions of US dollars.

MindRank begins IND-enabling studies of its first AI-designed drug, eight months after program initiation

The original publication link:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-021-00819-5">Amelioration of Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease pathology by mitophagy inducers identified via machine learning and a cross-species workflow | Nature Biomedical Engineering</a>
&nbsp;
Recently, MindRank AI, University of Oslo, University of Macau, Imperial College London and other teams published a study &ldquo;Amelioration of Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease pathology by mitophagy inducers identified via machine learning and a cross-species workflow&rdquo; in Nature Biomedical Engineering, a top journal with an impact factor (IF) of 25.6.&nbsp; MindRank AI Team are responsible for the development and verification of AI model in this study. Professor Evandro F. Fang from University of Oslo in Norway and Professor Lu Jiahong from Macau University are responsible for the research design and biological experiments of this study.
In this study, a virtual screening algorithm based on artificial intelligence (AI) integrating multi-dimensional molecular information was established. Meanwhile, combined with the verification of Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease (AD) models in multi-species such as human cells,&nbsp;Caenorhabditis elegans&nbsp;and mice, small molecular compounds of traditional Chinese medicine with AD therapeutic potential were successfully and rapidly screened. In this study, an efficient and feasible AI-based drug discovery scheme is proposed for AD treatment, which provides a new strategy for rapid development of anti-AD drugs.
<img src="https://api.site.mindrank.ai/v1/files/7b4a6969-0a54-42c1-a525-fbf4065c6c0e" alt="" width="605" height="322" />
Li-Huei Tsai, an international authority on Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease research and a professor from the Department of Brain and Cognitive Science of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), pointed out: &ldquo;In this study, cutting-edge machine learning algorithms were used to successfully discover new neuronal mitophagy inducers, candidate drugs were screened by using computer, and then verified in multiple systems such as cells, Caenorhabditis elegans and mouse models expressing human P301L Tau protein, and finally two small molecule compounds kaempferol and rhapontigenin were found. It is worth noting that these mitophagy inducers can effectively improve neuronal function, reduce AD-related pathological changes, and enhance learning and memory ability in animal models. Therefore, this study identified an effective mitophagy inducer through computer drug screening and multi-system verification. In addition, their study shows the therapeutic value of mitophagy in protecting neurons and improving memory function.

Nature BME｜Amelioration of Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology by Mitophagy inducers identified via machine learning and a cross-species workflow

The original news link:&nbsp;
<a href="https://equalocean.com/briefing/20211217230104126">AI pharmaceutical company wisdom Medicine completed tens of millions of dollars in round a financing | EqualOcean</a>
&nbsp;
<img src="https://api.site.mindrank.ai/v1/files/946f4b3a-7e97-407b-92b3-c30f5058bf4e" alt="" width="1080" height="459" />
On December 15th, AI pharmaceutical startup MindRank AI completed tens of millions of US dollars in A round financing, which was jointly led by Huagai Capital and Pinevc, and the shareholder Sherpa Healthcare Partners continued to invest. This round of financing will support the company&rsquo;s team expansion, self-research pipeline research and development, as well as business expansion.
Since the angel round of financing in May this year, MindRank AI has applied its self-developed one-stop AI drug R&amp;D platform Molecule Pro&trade;️ and has successfully delivered the R&amp;D milestones to several listed pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies, and has signed further large orders. In the meantime, MindRank AI designed a candidate molecule with best-in-class potential for a listed pharmaceutical company partner, and has entered the follow-up preclinical development (IND-Enabling) stage.
Niu Zhangming, founder and CEO of MindRank AI, said: &ldquo;We hope to advance the boundaries of AI-assisted drug R&amp;D capabilities through the practices of difficult pipelines, continuous technological innovation and algorithm iteration, in order to push the pipelines to clinical use and bring value to the society.&rdquo;
Deng Liang, a partner of Huagai Capital&rsquo;s partner said: &ldquo;MindRank AI has rich experience in new drug research and development and AI pharmaceuticals. Its independent research and development pipeline has made rapid progress in the development of relatively complex targets and has great potential. The new drug AI R&amp;D platform has been recognized by many companies in the industry for cooperation, and at the same time provides an important boost to the self-developed drug pipeline. I look forward to the team&rsquo;s steady development in the new drug R&amp;D field.&rdquo;
Yang Jin, Partner of Pinevc, said: &ldquo;MindRank AI team has gained international recognition in terms of independent development capabilities and technological development. In response to the pain points of new drugs that have attracted much attention, MindRank AI&rsquo;s self-developed one-stop AI-driven drug R&amp;D platform has proved from actual cases that the technology platform has improved the efficiency of R&amp;D and has a strong ability. It is hoped that the pipeline can be promoted into the clinic in the near future to achieve real patient benefits.&rdquo;
Shi Yina, Managing Director of Sherpa Healthcare Partners, said: &ldquo;Since the angel round of investment in May this year, we have witnessed the rapid development of the MindRank AI&rsquo;s pharmaceutical team and business. Its pipeline progress demonstrates the self-developed one-stop AI technology platform to empower new drugs R&amp;D capabilities and potential. We are optimistic about the continued increase and look forward to the team&rsquo;s future breakthroughs in the international AI pharmaceutical field.&rdquo;

MindRank AI has Completed Tens of Millions of US dollars in A Round financing, AI facilitates Drug Pipeline R&D

The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="http://www.medicilon.com.cn/news/AI-pharmaceutical.shtml">用AI赋能肿瘤创新药研发！美迪西与德睿智药达成战略合作_AI_医药研发-上海美迪西生物医药股份有限公司 (medicilon.com.cn)</a>

MindRank AI and Medicilon Preclinical Research LLC (SHA: 688202) Reached a Strategic Cooperation to Develop Innovative Cancer Drugs with AI

The original news link in Chinese:
 <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Jk8dYKOLZm1iaXqJAh8cmg">https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Jk8dYKOLZm1iaXqJAh8cmg</a>
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Interview with EY: Experts from China and Abroad Talk about AI Drug Discovery (part Ⅱ)

The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="https://blogs.nvidia.cn/2021/10/21/mindrank-a100-drug-discovery/">GPU助力德睿智药加速创新药物研发 &ndash; NVIDIA 中国官方博客</a>

MindRank AI was Invited to Join the “NVIDIA Startup Acceleration Program” 

The original news link in Chinese:
<a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7pt5Heu1Yh2qjr213GnX4Q">https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7pt5Heu1Yh2qjr213GnX4Q</a>
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Interview with EY: Experts from China and Abroad Talk about AI Drug Discovery (part Ⅰ)

The original news link:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.antengene.com/news/1553.html">Antengene and MindRank AI Enter into Collaboration to Advance the Development of Difficult-to-Drug Molecular Targets-Antengene</a>
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Shanghai and Hong Kong, PRC, August 9 2021 &ndash; Antengene Corporation Limited (&ldquo;Antengene&rdquo;, SEHK: 6996.HK), a leading innovative biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing global first-in-class and/or best-in-class therapeutics in hematology and oncology; and MindRank AI, an innovative AI drug discovery company, today announced&nbsp;a long-term strategic partnership on the joint development of first-in-class small-molecule oncology drugs. To date, MindRank AI has already made contributions to the development of one of Antengene&rsquo;s pre-clinical stage drug candidates.
This collaboration marks the establishment of a synergistic alliance between a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company and an innovative AI-powered drug discovery company to transform drug discovery and development. Antengene has a strong R&amp;D team with global experience in the discovery and development of innovative drugs and proven capability in developing compounds for difficult-to-drug targets. To date, Antengene has built a broad and expanding pipeline of 13 clinical and pre-clinical assets, comprising 8 global rights assets and 5 assets with rights for Asia Pacific markets including the Greater China region.&nbsp;Meanwhile, MindRank AI will deploy its proprietary one-stop AI-driven drug discovery platform, Molecule Pro&trade;, and its molecular dynamics platform, Molecule Dance&trade;, to support Antengene&rsquo;s efforts in discovering and developing more first-in-class and best-in-class drug candidates.
Through this collaboration to advance the development of difficult-to-drug targets, Antengene and MindRank AI aim to improve the efficiency and success rate of the current drug discovery process. Both parties hope to address more unmet medical needs by delivering practice-changing therapeutics for patients.
Dr. Jay Mei, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Antengene, commented: &ldquo;We are excited about this ground-breaking partnership with MindRank AI, established to accelerate our development of new therapies for difficult-to-drug targets. Antengene has built a pipeline of 13 assets over the past 4 years through both partnerships and in-house discovery. In 2021, we have seen our first in-house developed asset enter into clinical stage. We are confident that this collaboration between two industry leaders will further enhance our in-house discovery capabilities and bring more novel, broader and effective therapeutics to patients around the world.&rdquo;
Mr. Zhangming Niu, Founder and CEO of MindRank AI, noted: &ldquo;We are very honored to be a strategic partner of Antengene, an industry-leader with robust R&amp;D capabilities and a management team possessing experience in developing and commercializing some of the world&rsquo;s bestselling oncology drugs. We hope this synergistic collaboration of Antengene&rsquo;s deep expertise and MindRank&rsquo;s proprietary AI-powered drug discovery platform will result in more first-in-class oncology drugs for patients globally. Together, we will strive to close more treatment gaps and bring renewed hope to more patients .
About Antengene
Antengene Corporation Limited (&ldquo;Antengene&rdquo;, SEHK: 6996.HK) is a leading clinical-stage R&amp;D-driven biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative medicines for oncology and other life-threatening diseases. Antengene aims to provide the most advanced anti-cancer drugs to patients in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world. Since its establishment in 2017, Antengene has obtained 15 investigational new drug (IND) approvals, submitted 6 new drug applications (NDAs) in multiple Asia Pacific markets, and was granted an NDA approval in South Korea through a priority review process. Leveraging partnerships as well as in-house drug discovery, Antengene has built a broad and expanding pipeline of 13 clinical and pre-clinical assets, comprising 8 global rights assets and 5 assets with rights for Asia Pacific markets including the Greater China region. Driven by its vision of &ldquo;Treating Patients Beyond Borders&rdquo;, Antengene is committed to addressing significant unmet medical needs by discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing first-in-class/best-in-class therapeutics.

MindRank AI and Antengene (6996.HK) Enter into Collaboration to Advance the Development of Difficult-to-Drug Molecular Targets

The original news link in Chinese:
&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chemexpress.com.cn/newsDetail_193.html">皓元医药与德睿智药进一步深化合作AI辅助化学合成研发 (chemexpress.com.cn)</a>

MindRank AI and HaoYuan Chemexpress (SHA: 688131) Establish Strategic Colleboration to Develop AI-assisted Chemical Synthesis Platform

The original news link in Chinese:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.jiqizhixin.com/articles/2021-04-11-3">600多所高校、13000支队伍参赛，这场AI技术创新大赛凭什么风靡全球？ | 机器之心 (jiqizhixin.com)</a>

MindRank AI Win the Championship in the Global Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation Contest

The original news link:&nbsp;
<a href="https://vcbeat.top/51105">MindRank AI completed $7 Million of seed round fundraising, Sherpa Healthcare Partnersled the investment</a>

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