Genesis Molecular AI CTO @edunov breaks down how a drug goes from 20,000 possible protein targets to human trials: "First step is target identification. There are 20,000 proteins in our bodies, and sometimes they malfunction. What we often need to do is either activate or deactivate those proteins." "Next step is hit ID: a molecule that sticks to this protein and doesn't stick to everything else. Then you optimize for certain properties." "For a pill, it needs to be soluble in water. Stable on the shelf and in your body, so it's not digested and excreted right away. If it's in the brain, your drug needs to penetrate the blood-brain barrier." "Then finally, with a drug candidate, you start experiments in animals and then in humans." @genesismolai