# Scientists use Virtual Reality to refine new AI-generated drugs for COVID-19

Insilico Medicine

Nanome and Insilico Medicine co-authored research describing 10 potential small molecule inhibitors targeting the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, generated by AI and refined in VR.

## The Challenge

The daunting number of chemical structures that can be generated from scratch means conventional computational drug design approaches are limited in scope.

## The Solution

Insilico's AI platform generates novel drug-like molecules, which are then analyzed and refined by medicinal chemists using Nanome's VR environment for intuitive 3D visualization.

## Results

- 10 potential non-covalent inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease
- Novel molecular structures not found in existing databases
- AI-generated compounds collaboratively optimized in VR
- Pioneered the combination of generative AI and immersive VR for drug design

> “VR enables medicinal chemists to look at molecules closely before placing a billion-dollar, life-or-death wager, while unleashing creativity and encouraging collaboration across both disciplinary and physical borders.”

[Download Full Case Study (PDF)](/content/downloads/case-study-insilico.pdf)