589 million adults around the world live with diabetes
As of 2024, it is estimated that 589 million adults are living with diabetes around the world, according to the International Diabetes Federation, with one in four individuals aged 65 and above being affected.
November 14, 2025, marks the 19th World Diabetes Day, with this year’s theme being “Diabetes and Well-being”. Aligning with the theme, Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, is utilising its proprietary AI engine, Biology42: Generative Biologics, to advance innovative breakthroughs in diabetes therapy development.
In a recent study, Insilico demonstrated the potential of generative biologics to rapidly design peptides targeting GLP1R, the receptor modulated by blockbuster diabetes drugs such as Ozempic. Using its Biology42: Generative Biologics engine, Insilico’s Research and Development team generated over 5,000 novel peptides within a 72-hour cycle, without referencing any known GLP1R binders. From these, 20 top candidates were picked for synthesis and wet-lab evaluation based on predicted affinity scores and computed binding energies. 14 of the tested peptides displayed biological activity, with three exhibiting single-digit nanomolar potency.
Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, said, “GLP-1R is a critically important target in the cardiometabolic disease space, which remains a significant global challenge and a key focus for Insilico. We are excited to be witnessing rapid progress in this area, made possible by the advanced capabilities of our AI platform. At BIO-Europe 2025, we look forward to sharing further updates on Insilico’s AI-driven pipeline discoveries in cardiometabolic diseases. We also welcome the opportunity to foster in-depth collaborations with industry partners, whether in advancing AI innovation or in the pipeline of novel therapies.”
Alex Aliper, PhD, co-founder and president of Insilico Medicine, said, “These findings highlight the transformative potential of Biology42: Generative Biologics in accelerating the discovery and design of novel protein-based therapeutics. Our generative AI platform is designed to create potent, functional biologics from scratch, rapidly and with high precision. This achievement not only demonstrates the strength of our technology in the biologics space but also reinforces Insilico’s ability to drive innovation across a wide range of therapeutic modalities and disease areas.”
The case study demonstrates how Insilico is helping to drive the development of next-generation diabetes therapies and advancing peptides discovery by utilising technology with deep scientific expertise. It also validates Biology42: Generative Biologics platform as a high-throughput platform capable of identifying potent, novel peptides in record time.
Insilico Medicine plans to further enhance the Biology42: Generative Biologics platform by improving its algorithms and expanding its capabilities to target increasingly complex and diverse biologic targets. The company also intends to apply the platform across other therapeutic areas, simplifying the discovery of novel biologic candidates ready for preclinical development. Additionally, iterative design cycles informed by experimental feedback will be integrated to improve the potency and specificity of biologics.
