Deep View: AI for Good: Repurposing. Comment: Ireland we may lose on tariffs but for the educated workforce, this could be an option. As a breast cancer survivor I hold deep beliefs in progress and in “repurposing” of existing drugs. Being bipolar with anxiety, there is a serious lack of investment in an area of medicine that critically needs same.

Posted on April 1, 2025 by michelleclarke2015
AI for Good: Drug repurposing
Source: Unsplash
We’ve talked before about the clinical plight of rare diseases, that collection of at least 7,000 diseases that don’t get too much attention because they don’t individually impact more than 200,000 people in the U.S. But, in aggregate, rare diseases impact a minimum of 30 million Americans, and hundreds of millions of people around the world. 
The combination of intense impact and lack of focus makes the study of these diseases ripe for the application of machine learning tools and technologies. But it goes beyond simple diagnostics and into clinical drug explorations. 
What happened: Specifically, I’m talking about drug repurposing, the discovery of new drugs from existing (and already FDA-approved) medicines. Last year, researchers at Harvard Medicine launched an AI model called TxGNN that’s specifically designed to identify candidates for rare diseases among existing drugs. 
Trained on a vast quantity of biological and medical data — including DNA information and gene activity — the model was validated across more than a million patient records to identify subtle commonalities between rare illnesses. It is made up of two components; one that identifies potential candidates and their side effects, and another that provides a rationale for its identification, injecting a needed boost of transparency and explainabilty into related medical decision-making. 
In a test, the TxGNN identified potential candidates among a pool of 8,000 existing medicines for more than 17,000 diseases. 
Why it matters: Solely identifying candidates doesn’t make them accessible; the model’s predictions then require evaluation and experimentation. Still, the model — which the researchers freely released — promises to drastically speed up the process. 
“We’ve tended to rely on luck and serendipity rather than on strategy, which limits drug discovery to diseases for which drugs already exist,” Marinka Zitnik, the paper’s lead researcher, said in a statement. “Even for more common diseases with approved treatments, new drugs could offer alternatives with fewer side effects or replace drugs that are ineffective for certain patients.”
The team of researchers has already begun work with rare disease foundations to identify potential treatments.
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About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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