Benzinga | Jan 12, 2021 08:33AM EST

Simulations Plus Enters New Funded Collaboration to Improve Lung Exposure Models For Pulmonary Infection Treatments

Integrated machine learning and PBPK/PD methods will support discovery and development activities

Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLP), a leading provider of modeling and simulation solutions for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, and consumer goods industries, today announced that it has entered into a new funded collaboration with a large pharmaceutical company to develop machine learning models and enhance physiologically based pharmacokinetics / pharmacodynamics (PBPK/PD) approaches for potential treatments of pulmonary infections.

"Significant investments have been made by our partner to identify new oral and/or intravenous therapies for the lung, which will make our technology a centerpiece of their research strategy and enable accurate first-in-human predictions based on in silico, in vitro, and preclinical data," said Dr. Viera Lukacova, chief scientist at Simulations Plus. "We will apply the ADMET Predictor(r) platform to build machine learning models for key endpoints to serve two purposes: to aid scientists in discovery as they screen candidate libraries, and to inform the mechanistic GastroPlus(r) models as lead compounds progress through development. Additionally, the innovative GastroPlus PBPK/PD models will be validated in specific populations (e.g., disease, geriatric) and published to increase regulatory understanding and acceptance."

"This new collaboration highlights the uniqueness of working with Simulations Plus," added John DiBella, Lancaster division president for the company. "We can take our validated, best-in-class machine learning and PBPK modeling platforms and customize them to our client's specifications as their research priorities are defined. Our expert modelers will also support our partner's teams as they apply the software to their research. The proactive engagement channels we have with our clients globally continues to pay dividends, and we welcome and invite future collaborations across our entire suite of software programs."