PulmoSIM Therapeutics Opens With Focus on Better Treating PAH

VeriSIM Life has opened PulmoSIM Therapeutics, its pharmaceutical subsidiary focused on developing treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), before moving to other rare respiratory diseases.

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of PulmoSIM as it demonstrates the indefinite capabilities of the VeriSIM’s platform, BIOiSIM, in accelerating drug development by bridging the translational gap between preclinical and clinical phases,” Jo Varshney, PhD, founder and CEO of VeriSIM, said in a press release.

“In contrast to working with pharmaceutical and biotech companies in developing their drug portfolios, the PulmoSIM launch will be the first of many assets we will be developing to solve the most challenging and unaddressed diseases,” Varshney added.

VeriSIM uses a platform based on artificial intelligence (AI) to compute simulations of human biology, and predict the clinical potential of compounds that might move into human trials. The approach narrows down the number of therapeutic compounds to those most likely to treat a disease, potentially allowing for faster drug development.

By repurposing and repositioning therapies already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), PulmoSIM also aims to rapidly develop less expensive therapies for PAH and IPF, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

“Out of [more than] 7,000 rare diseases, many exist in hard-to-reach peripheral regions of the respiratory system, PulmoSIM aims to leverage the immense potential drug repurposing has to offer, to tackle at least a few of these rare diseases,” said Vivek Gupta, PhD, scientific founder of PulmoSIM.

“Development of affordable, and commercially feasible therapies is one of the many ways to improve quality of life and compliance among the patients suffering from these indications,” Gupta added.

It also intends to tackle multiple biological pathways with a single therapy, avoiding the need for combination treatments.

“Unlike current approaches that seek symptomatic relief, PulmoSIM’s approach is novel as it targets the biology of the disease. Targeting the underlying disease mechanisms opens the path to effective and life-saving therapies,” said Samir Mitragotri, PhD, a member of the company’s scientific advisory board.