10162832Accelerating Combination Drug Discovery for Obesity with AIActiveFeasibility StudiesInnovate UKObesity is a global health issue linked to conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and liver problems. While new medications such as Ozempic have helped many people lose weight and improve their health, they can also cause unpleasant side effects like nausea and vomiting. These side effects lead many patients---up to 40%---to stop taking the medication before it has a lasting benefit. At Combinate Therapeutics, we are developing a new kind of obesity treatment that combines multiple drugs in a single therapy. This approach could make the treatment more effective while using lower doses of each drug, which may reduce the risk of side effects. To help identify the best drug combinations, we have built an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that analyses biological data to predict which drug targets are most likely to work well together. Instead of testing thousands of combinations in the lab, this tool allows us to focus only on the most promising ones --- allowing us to develop novel therapies faster. In this project, we will experimentally test the top predictions from our AI model in the laboratory and create the first prototype of our combinatorial drug. If successful, the project could lead to the development of a safer and more effective obesity treatment and open the door to applying this technology to develop better therapeutics for other complex diseases.