AI Helps Biotech Labs Generate the Building Blocks for New Drugs

AI Helps Biotech Labs Generate the Building Blocks for New Drugs

But what if we could add new proteins to the resource pile? Two biotech labs have begun using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate novel proteins with the goal of incorporating them into medicine. Chroma, a program by Boston-based Generate Biomedicines, and RoseTTAFold Diffusion, a program out of the University of Washington’s Baker Lab, are often compared with trendy AI art generators thanks to their ability to create new concepts seemingly out of thin air. In fact, Chroma has even been referred to as “the DALL-E 2 of biology.”

AI protein generators, a type of denoising diffusion probabilistic model (DDPM), are trained to pull samples from complex datasets. They then use those samples—plus added noise—to construct a product that matches a given prompt. Although art generators are the best-known DDPMs, AI isn’t only good for producing images on demand; they’ve also been found to be an ideal method of generating diverse protein models. In a preprint on bioRxiv, Baker Labs scientists describe how RoseTTAFold can devise protein structures with virtually any desired size, shape, or function, as well as with any required constraints.

AI Helps Biotech Labs Generate the Building Blocks for New Drugs

Chroma works similarly. Generate Biomedicine’s program pulls from what it calls the Protein Data Bank, which houses 3D protein and protein complex structures as well as amino acid sequences. Using the patterns from this data, Chroma can create new proteins within size, symmetry, and function constraints. Seemingly capable of heavier lifts than its competitor, Chroma uses a single commodity GPU to generate large proteins and protein complexes in just a few minutes.

Once RoseTTAFold or Chroma generates a protein, scientists can bring that protein to life in the lab. Baker Lab says it has already synthesized hundreds of RoseTTAFold’s creations, many of which have the potential to be “useful as medications, vaccines, or even new nanomaterials.” Some of Baker Lab’s proteins even attach to essential hormones better than existing protein-based drugs, offering hope that AI-generated proteins might someday enable the creation of more effective pharmaceuticals.

Continue reading

New Drug Class Reverses Paralysis in Mice
New Drug Class Reverses Paralysis in Mice

Once-paralyzed mice were able to walk within four weeks of receiving a single injection of the drug.

Intelligent Drug-Releasing Contact Lenses Could Help Treat Glaucoma
Intelligent Drug-Releasing Contact Lenses Could Help Treat Glaucoma

Surprisingly, the inventors of the lenses say they're actually comfortable to wear.

The UK Will Test Delivering Chemo Drugs by Drone
The UK Will Test Delivering Chemo Drugs by Drone

In an announcement marking the organization's 74th birthday, the NHS stated it would begin testing the use of drones to deliver chemo drugs to patients in hard-to-reach locations.

Scientists Discover Molecule That Can Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Scientists Discover Molecule That Can Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria

A team of chemists and molecular biologists appear to have found the key to fighting drug resistance, and it’s hidden in a molecule called fabimycin.