GATC Health and UC Irvine Announce Landmark PNAS Publication Validating AI-Platform for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

IRVINE, Calif., April 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GATC Health Corp, a leading tech-bio company leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to transform drug discovery and development, and researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) today announced the publication of a joint study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The peer-reviewed paper validates a novel drug candidate, GATC-1021, which was identified using GATC Health’s Operon™ AI platform to more precisely target the specific neurological dysregulations found in individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).

Bridging AI and Academic Excellence

The research was a collaborative effort led by Dr. Christie D. Fowler and her team at UCI’s Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, alongside GATC Health’s drug discovery team. By integrating GATC’s Operon platform with UCI’s preclinical expertise, the team successfully moved from identifying human brain biomarkers to discovering and validating a highly effective therapeutic in record time.

By leveraging AI to model complex human brain biology, GATC-1021 was designed to achieve a level of multi-target precision that would be difficult to identify through conventional methods, enabling simultaneous modulation of addiction-relevant pathways and delivering robust reductions in fentanyl intake without the safety and behavioral liabilities often associated with current therapies.

"This study provides compelling evidence for the power of AI-directed drug development to accelerate innovation," said Dr. Christie Fowler, lead author and Professor & Chancellor's Fellow, Neurobiology and Behavior at the Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences at UCI. "By using AI to analyze human postmortem brain tissue, we were able to design a compound that not only reduces opioid intake, but also directly addresses the underlying biological dysregulation driving addiction—something that has historically been difficult to achieve with conventional drug discovery approaches."

Scientific Breakthroughs and Validations

The study, titled "AI-Derived Therapeutic Development of a Serotonin Receptor Targeting Drug for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder," highlights several key milestones:

• AI-Target Identification: The GATC Operon platform identified a unique "biomarker signature" from human data that pointed to the dual modulation of the 5-HT2A and 5-HT6 serotonin receptors as a key treatment mechanism.
  
• Drastic Reduction in Fentanyl Use: Preclinical trials conducted at UCI demonstrated that GATC-1021 significantly decreased fentanyl intake in both male and female subjects.
  
• Restoration of Brain Plasticity: GATC-1021 treatment was shown to increase the percentage of thin dendritic spines, which are involved in learning and memory, and upregulated neuroplasticity genes like Bdnf in the prefrontal cortex.
  
• Safety and Non-Hallucinogenic Profile: Despite targeting serotonin receptors, the non-opioid GATC-1021 did not induce hallucinogenic-like behaviors (head-twitch responses), suggesting it can provide the neuroplastic benefits of psychedelics without the associated side effects.

"These findings provide a powerful prospective validation of our Operon platform's ability to move from human tissue data to a highly efficacious drug candidate based on preclinical studies," said Ian Jenkins, GATC’s Chief Science Officer. “By identifying markers of dysregulation directly from human brain tissue, GATC Health was able to bypass traditional ‘trial and error’ discovery, significantly accelerating the path to clinical potential.”

Addressing a National Emergency

With over three million Americans suffering from OUD and a surge in synthetic opioid deaths, the need for innovative strategies is urgent. Current treatments like methadone and buprenorphine face challenges with long-term adherence and safety. GATC-1021 offers a promising new direction by focusing on a "polypharmacy" approach—targeting multiple biological pathways to restore balance to the brain's reward system.

Rahul Gupta, M.D., President of GATC Health and former Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy - the first physician to serve in the role - said: “Having led the nation’s response to the opioid crisis, I’ve seen how important it is to expand the range of effective treatment options. GATC-1021 was designed from human data to target key neurological drivers of opioid dependence, with the goal of offering a non-opioid approach. Enabled by AI, this work points to a potentially complementary path that could broaden access to affordable care and support more people on their path to recovery.”

About GATC Health

GATC Health is a tech-bio company revolutionizing drug discovery and development by simulating complex human biology to predict how drugs will perform in the body, achieving 91% specificity and 86% sensitivity. Trusted by the world’s largest insurance marketplace, biopharma, researchers, and investment partners, GATC Health’s risk prediction product, the Derisq™ AI report, accurately assesses and predicts drug candidate safety, efficacy, and non-obvious side effects prior to the commitment of development capital. GATC Health’s AI platform, Operon™, is generative, creating intellectual property, extending pipelines, and optimizing assets. By uniting advanced AI, multiomics, and predictive modeling, GATC Health accelerates breakthroughs and reduces costly late-stage failures to bring safer, more effective therapies to patients worldwide. For more information, visit gatchealth.com.

About the University of California, Irvine

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced six Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and its anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

GATC Health Media Contact
Mike Tattory
Vice President
LifeSci Communications
Mtattory@lifescicomms.com
609-802-6265

University of California Irvine Media Contact
Tom Vasich
Senior Director, Communications & Media Relations
Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs
University of California, Irvine
tmvasich@uci.edu
949-285-6455

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