New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS): The Technology Development Board (TDB) — under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) — has signed an agreement with Peptris Technologies Pvt Ltd to provide financial support of Rs 86 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund for an AI-led drug development programme, according to an official statement on Monday. According to the Ministry of Science & Technology, the pact was signed under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund.
The project — VIGOR: Advancing AI-Discovered Molecules from Bench to Clinic — has a total project cost of Rs 172 crore, it added. The project aims to advance four drug candidates from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-4 to TRL-6 through preclinical development, validation and preparation for clinical trials. Financial support will be provided through Optionally Convertible Debt (OCD). However, translating computational discoveries into viable drug candidates requires extensive experimental validation, preclinical studies and clinical development. “Peptris’ VIGOR programme seeks to address this critical transition by leveraging its proprietary AI-driven drug discovery platform to advance a portfolio of molecules towards clinical development,” according to the ministry.
The programme focuses on therapeutic areas with significant unmet medical needs. It covers four drug candidates like ‘PEPR111’ for neuromuscular disorders and oncology, ‘PEPRX101’ for alopecia, ‘PEPR202’ for neuropathy and ‘PEPR112’ for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
These four candidates are currently at TRL-4 and are expected to progress to TRL-6 under the project.
Moreover, the three-year programme includes advanced preclinical studies, investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies, formulation development, clinical trial preparation and initiation activities, subject to regulatory and scientific requirements. The government said that the project is intended to help bridge the gap between AI-based discovery and clinical development while strengthening India’s capabilities in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and AI-enabled healthcare innovation.
“The application of artificial intelligence in pharmaceutical research has the potential to transform how new drug candidates are identified and developed,” TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said.
He added that sustained investment and scientific validation are required to translate promising discoveries into therapeutic candidates.
A representative of Peptris said the support under the RDI Fund would help the company advance its VIGOR programme through critical preclinical milestones and accelerate the progression of AI-discovered molecules towards potential clinical development.
The company said its approach combines AI-driven discovery, experimental validation and established drug-development processes to address unmet medical needs and support the development of novel therapeutic candidates.
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