An artificial intelligence tool created at the School of Medicine shows promise in expediting the discovery of new treatments by pinpointing alternative applications for existing drugs. It has already located an established medication that may reduce the risk of heart failure.
School of Medicine researchers built a computational platform that goes beyond simply identifying which patient groups might benefit to revealing how the drugs function within cells. They demonstrated its capabilities by pinpointing a promising candidate to help prevent heart failure, one of the world’s top causes of death.
This new AI solution, known as LogiRx, can predict how medications might influence biological processes in the body, helping scientists understand their effects beyond the original purpose. For example, the platform indicated that the antidepressant escitalopram, marketed as Lexapro, could halt harmful changes in the heart that lead to heart failure, a leading cause of nearly half of all cardiovascular deaths in the United States.
“AI must evolve from merely spotting patterns to delivering genuine insight,” said a principal researcher. “Our LogiRx tool allows us to identify not only which drugs can be repurposed for heart disease but also to uncover their mechanisms within the heart.”
Heart failure takes more than 400,000 lives each year in the United States. A hallmark of the condition is cell overgrowth, which thickens the heart muscle and limits its capacity to pump blood. Known as cardiac hypertrophy, this process poses a serious threat to heart health.
Guided by a PhD student, the research team aimed to see whether LogiRx could find medications capable of preventing cardiac hypertrophy and thereby avert heart failure. They evaluated 62 previously identified drug candidates, with LogiRx predicting off-target effects for seven of these that might help prevent harmful cellular overgrowth, and lab tests confirmed the predictions for two drugs.
Subsequent lab tests and patient outcome analyses showed that individuals taking escitalopram were significantly less likely to develop cardiac hypertrophy.
“LogiRx uncovers unexpected new applications for older drugs already proven safe in humans,” said a member of the research team. “This platform helps investigators explore novel patient populations that could benefit from a therapy or steer clear of unpleasant side effects.”
While further laboratory studies and clinical trials are necessary before escitalopram can be recommended for heart health, the researchers are enthused by LogiRx’s potential to drive and accelerate progress not only for cardiac hypertrophy but also for many other serious medical conditions. They perceive LogiRx as an important step toward blending artificial intelligence with known cellular biology to find new purposes for existing medications.
Source: https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2025/03/18/artificial-intelligence-tool-to-accelerate-new-treatments/