Benevolent AI’s dermatology Trk disappoints

Sometimes the computer says yes – but it shouldn’t have. Benevolent AI made the unusual decision to try inhibiting tropomyosin receptor kinases (Trks), best known for their role in cancer, in atopic dermatitis, and today disclosed a failure. The topical project BEN-2293 was generated by the Benevolent Platform, the group’s AI-enabled drug discovery engine, to block Trks A, B and C. But phase 2a results show no statistically significant effect over placebo, after a month’s treatment, on two symptom rating scores in the intention-to-treat population. Benevolent claims to have seen a signal in patients with at least 20% of their skin affected by dermatitis, in both the ITT and per-protocol populations, and will investigate this. At time of press Benevolent AI had not replied to a question asking why it was looking at Trk blockade here when almost all work with this mechanism is in cancer. There is one other exception: Pyramid Biosciences, a Trk specialist, which has tested one of its projects in psoriasis. The same asset is listed in the company’s pipeline as being in early trials in atopic dermatitis, but no such study appears on clinicaltrials.gov.