On June 3, 2025, the industry’s first proof-of-concept clinical validation of AI-driven drug discovery was published in Nature Medicine. Insilico Medicine and collaborators reported promising safety and efficacy results from a Phase IIa trial of Rentosertib (known as ISM001-055), a TNIK inhibitor developed using Insilico’s generative AI platform, Pharma.AI, for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Additionally, the exploratory analysis of biomarkers in this paper further validated the biological mechanism of TNIK inhibition, the novel target identified through a generative AI approach, supporting Rentosertib’s potential anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects.

 University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers have made a promising discovery that could lead to the development of a natural and effective tick repellent. They have shown that a naturally occurring compound secreted by the skin of donkeys effectively repels adult Ixodes scapularis ticks – the most frequent human-biting tick in the U.S. Commonly known as the deer tick, this species of arthropods is responsible for spreading Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis – bacterial infections that can sometimes cause serious and long-lasting illness. 

Results over the 16-year study period show a troubling decline in treatment for cannabis use disorder, dropping from 19% in 2003 to 13% in 2019, despite consistently high need. At all three time points—2003, 2011, and 2019—the majority of individuals with the disorder did not receive any form of treatment. When asked why, participants cited various barriers, including not knowing where to find help, feeling unready to stop using cannabis, treatment costs, stigma, and concerns about potential negative effects on their job or career.