Can artificial intelligence identify effective COVID‐19 therapies?

Abstract

In this issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine, Stebbing et al (2020b) validate an artificial intelligence‐assisted prediction that a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could be a potent weapon against COVID‐19. Using liver organoids infected with SARS‐CoV‐2, they confirm dual antiviral and anti‐inflammatory activities and show that its administration in four COVID‐19 patients is correlated with disease improvement, paving the way for more rigorous placebo‐controlled trials.