• Pipeline to include new chemical entities as well as re-innovated drugs, all targeting dysregulation of the gut-brain axis and inflammasome pathways for chronic inflammatory diseases
  
• Dr. Alesci’s proven track record in optimizing early-stage drug development of multiple programs in various therapeutic areas will be key as the company leverages its AI-platform to advance and diversify its portfolio

GUILFORD, Conn., May 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InveniAI^® LLC, a global leader in pioneering the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to transform innovation across drug discovery and development, announced today the appointment of Salvatore (Salvo) Alesci, M.D., Ph.D., as its Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Alesci, a physician-scientist, R&D strategist, and science policy influencer with expertise in translational medicine, will be responsible for advancing programs from IND-enabling to human proof-of-concept studies and working with the leadership team on scientific and business strategies. The company's AI-driven pipeline currently has three programs prioritized for development that address the intersection of the Gut-Brain Axis (GBA) and chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

For every ten adults in the world, four suffer from functional GI disorders of varying severity. Two-thirds of these people will have chronic, fluctuating symptoms¹. While the pathophysiology of functional GI disorders is multifaceted, it is known that bidirectional dysregulation of the GBA, including altered mucosal immune function, visceral hypersensitivity, and abnormal gastrointestinal motility plays a key role in these disorders¹. InveniAI harnesses its AI platform AlphaMeld^® to deconvolute the complex network of GBA pathways and generate hypotheses across the entire spectrum of pathophysiological processes involved in inflammatory gut diseases, from induction to early mucosal damage and fibrosis. AlphaMeld^® has already helped identify drug candidates with demonstrated safety. Initial programs will target the potential treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and rare gastrointestinal disorders, with the first NDA filing projected for 2025.

Dr. Krishnan Nandabalan, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO, InveniAI, said, "I'm delighted to have Salvo join the InveniAI team during this next phase of growth. I'm looking forward to working closely with him as we rapidly advance our portfolio of therapies for chronic inflammatory GI-diseases, with plans to scale these efforts in the near term. As a highly accomplished and proven leader, Salvo brings with him a breadth of knowledge in running drug discovery programs at the pre-clinical and clinical level and is a proponent of innovative approaches to biopharmaceutical discovery and development.”

"InveniAI's vision of leveraging AI to deconvolute and de-risk drug discovery and development is particularly exciting to me, as I strive to progress and bring novel medicines to patients in need,” said Salvatore Alesci, M.D., Ph.D. CSO, InveniAI “I’m thrilled to join an outstanding team in deploying cutting-edge AI-technology to decode the GBA and address a multitude of highly debilitating chronic diseases, such as IBS and IBD, that remain without optimal therapeutic options,” he added.

Dr. Alesci is a highly regarded healthcare executive with over two decades of experience spanning multiple scientific leadership roles in the government, pharmaceutical and non-profit sectors. He currently serves as Chief Scientist and Strategy Officer for Beyond Celiac – the leading science-driven patient advocacy organization in the U.S. focused on accelerating the development of treatments and a cure for celiac disease, a condition that among others affects his daughter, which has been an important driver of his interest in the GBA. Dr. Alesci was most recently V.P. and Head of R&D Global Patient and Scientific Affairs at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where he enabled effective partnering between the company and patients organizations throughout the drug life-cycle, ensuring early and continued access to medicines. He has served in several Translational Medicine leadership roles at Wyeth, Pfizer, and Merck, overseeing large and diverse drug portfolios spanning multiple therapeutic areas, including musculoskeletal biology, immunology, and rheumatology. Dr. Alesci received his M.D. (cum laude) and a Ph.D. in Experimental Endocrine and Metabolic Sciences from the University of Messina, School of Medicine (Italy) and completed a Research Fellowship in Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy at Georgetown University. After his postgraduate training, Dr. Alesci spent almost a decade conducting cutting-edge basic and translational research on the interplay between the neuroendocrine and immune systems at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has published extensively and received multiple recognitions for his research excellence, including two Special Acts of Service Awards by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

About AlphaMeld^®
AlphaMeld^® is an AI-based platform powered by machine learning algorithms. The platform accelerates innovation by identifying alpha signals for targets, drugs, and healthcare products and technologies. Primed with data sets that have been cleaned, curated, and connected for over a decade, the platform generates testable hypotheses based on an ideal mode of pharmacotherapy (antibody, protein replacement, siRNA, mRNA, small molecule, cell and gene therapy, and gene-editing modalities), disease severity, gene ontology, disease pathways, proteinopathies, standard of care, emerging innovation, and enabling technologies while factoring in medical, scientific, strategic, and commercial considerations. AlphaMeld^® operates in real-time and in a rapidly changing and diverse data environment.

About InveniAI^®
InveniAI^® LLC, based in Guilford, Conn., is a global leader pioneering the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to transform innovation across drug discovery and development by identifying and accelerating transformative therapies for diseases with unmet medical needs. The company leverages, AlphaMeld^®, an AI- and ML-powered platform, to harness petabytes of disparate data sets to recognize and unlock value for drug discovery and development. Numerous industry collaborations in Big Pharma, Specialty Pharma, Biotech, and Consumer Healthcare showcase the value of leveraging our technology to meld human experience and expertise with the power of machines to augment R&D decision-making across all major therapeutic areas. The company leverages AlphaMeld^® to augment and accelerate drug discovery programs for our industry partners. For more information, please visit www.inveniai.com.