The AI-Assisted Identification and Clinical Efficacy of Baricitinib in the Treatment of COVID-19
1
Benevolent AI, 4-8 Maple Street, London W1T 5HD, UK
2
UWA School of Medicine, Perkins Institute for Medical Research, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Perth 6009, Australia
3
Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0NN, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: François Meurens
Vaccines 2022, 10(6), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060951
Received: 14 April 2022
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Revised: 31 May 2022
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Accepted: 8 June 2022
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Published: 15 June 2022
During the current pandemic, the vast majority of COVID-19 patients experienced mild symptoms, but some had a potentially fatal aberrant hyperinflammatory immune reaction characterized by high levels of IL-6 and other cytokines. Modulation of this immune reaction has proven to be the only method of reducing mortality in severe and critical COVID-19. The anti-inflammatory drug baricitinib (Olumiant) has recently been strongly recommended by the WHO for use in COVID-19 patients because it reduces the risk of progressive disease and death. It is a Janus Kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor approved for rheumatoid arthritis which was suggested in early 2020 as a treatment for COVID-19. In this review the AI-assisted identification of baricitinib, its antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, and efficacy in clinical trials are discussed and compared with those of other immune modulators including glucocorticoids, IL-6 and IL-1 receptor blockers and other JAK inhibitors. Baricitinib inhibits both virus infection and cytokine signalling and is not only important for COVID-19 management but is “non-immunological”, and so should remain effective if new SARS-CoV-2 variants escape immune control. The repurposing of baricitinib is an example of how advanced artificial intelligence (AI) can quickly identify new drug candidates that have clinical benefit in previously unsuspected therapeutic areas.
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Keywords:
COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; baricitinib; antiviral; anti-cytokine; immune modulator
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MDPI and ACS Style
Richardson, P.J.; Robinson, B.W.S.; Smith, D.P.; Stebbing, J. The AI-Assisted Identification and Clinical Efficacy of Baricitinib in the Treatment of COVID-19. Vaccines 2022, 10, 951. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060951
AMA Style
Richardson PJ, Robinson BWS, Smith DP, Stebbing J. The AI-Assisted Identification and Clinical Efficacy of Baricitinib in the Treatment of COVID-19. Vaccines. 2022; 10(6):951. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060951
Chicago/Turabian StyleRichardson, Peter J., Bruce W.S. Robinson, Daniel P. Smith, and Justin Stebbing. 2022. "The AI-Assisted Identification and Clinical Efficacy of Baricitinib in the Treatment of COVID-19" Vaccines 10, no. 6: 951. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10060951
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