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2026-09-21 13:36:25 JPMorgan published a report stating that INSILICO (03696.HK)'s recent progress in longevity research has reinforced its differentiated advantages in the AI-driven drug discovery (AIDD) industry. JPM noted that a cover study published in Cell last Thursday (17th) introduced the aging-related benchmark dataset LongevityBench, dedicated longevity language models Longevity-LLMs, and the Longevity Claw research agent, establishing an integrated toolkit for evaluating AI reasoning and identifying potential aging-related targets. This complements a recent Nature Biotechnology publication regarding INSILICO's Phase III asset rentosertib, which showed interesting changes in aging biomarkers among idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients. The broker believes these developments connect computational discovery with emerging human evidence. The broker noted that INSILICO's share price has risen 76% since its mid-Jun trough (versus a 24% gain in the Hang Seng Healthcare Index (HSHCI) over the same period), reflecting strong market sentiment toward its AIDD capabilities and commercialization potential. The broker believes the investment thesis remains attractive as the company combines clinical assets approaching key validation milestones, demonstrated out-licensing potential, and additional opportunities in aging-related diseases. The broker added that the above Cell paper strengthened INSILICO's approach to discovering drugs targeting aging biology. The research introduced three complementary tools: LongevityBench evaluates AI models' capability to interpret aging-related biological data; dedicated language models analyze clinical and multi-omics datasets; and Longevity Claw integrates these models with scientific tools to identify and prioritize therapeutic targets. The dedicated models matched or outperformed the general large language models tested on research benchmarks, highlighting the importance of domain-specific data and training. Longevity Claw nominated 328 potential intervention targets, with enrichment of up to 5.6x relative to an independent, experimentally supported reference set of aging targets. The broker believes this represents a more systematic way to convert complex aging data into testable drug discovery hypotheses. Experimental validation remains necessary, but this capability could broaden INSILICO's R&D pipeline and create additional partnership opportunities. Rentosertib remains INSILICO's most clinically advanced example targeting the shared mechanisms between aging and specific diseases. In another Nature Biotechnology study, an exploratory analysis involving 42 patients from its Phase 2a IPF trial (n=128) found that six proteomic aging clocks indicated lower predicted biological age in the treatment group. The broker believes the consistency across model results strengthens the rationale for further research, although significance varied by dosage and time point, and the analysis could not fully distinguish aging effects from improvements in lung disease. The TNIK inhibitor rentosertib has now entered Phase III trials in China, with first patient dosing announced on Sep 10. The broker views this as a commercially pragmatic development strategy: establishing efficacy in a defined disease while studying broader biological effects. Successful IPF development would strengthen the rationale for exploring additional indications, although longevity applications will require their own clinical evidence. JPMorgan maintained its Overweight rating on INSILICO (03696.HK) with a TP of HKD71, based on a sum-of-the-parts valuation (SOTP) as of Dec 2027. Drug discovery and software solutions, along with other businesses, are valued at 17.5x and 8.9x EV/S respectively, implying a forecast 2027 price-to-sales ratio of about 19x, at the lower end of global AIDD peers ranging from 5x to 173x (median around 60x). (da/ad)~ AASTOCKS Financial News Website: www.aastocks.com This article was automatically translated by AI, the Chinese version should be considered the authoritative version. AASTOCKS.com Limited does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness and accepts no liability for any damages or losses arising from the use of this translation. | |