Scientists have been on the hunt for new antibiotics for years that can battle drug-resistant superbugs. The old ways of doing traditional research take years, AI is changing all of this. In a major breakthrough, MIT and McMaster University researchers employed artificial intelligence to discover an antibiotic in 2 days, a transformational medical advance.
Superbug Issue !! Why It Is Important
The biggest threat for mankind today is the spread of antibiotic resistance. The toughest infections deal with superbugs (bacteria that have evolved to fight existing treatment) and are the hardest to treat.
Antibiotic Resistance (a World Health Organization [WHO] determined major public health emergency) is going to claim millions of deaths in the forthcoming decades unless new drugs are discovered.
One of the most troubling superbugs is Acinetobacter baumannii,a microorganism that has a tendency to cause life-threatening infections in hospitals.
WHO has listed it as a “critical” priority pathogen because of its multi-drug resistance. In an urgent but difficult battle, the search for treatment A. “baumannii” has yielded until AI.
Coming out of the gate in AI, a little over 2 days…
A MIT and McMaster University team developed an AI system that can analyze thousands of chemical compounds in record time to predict a few promising candidates for a new antibiotic against A. baumanni. Within minutes, the AI enabled model winnowed down over 7,000 molecules to one expert Ultimately highlighting abaucin as a contender.
With Abaucin being extraordinarily effective against A. baumannii, it has shown an unprecedented capability of targeting this master superbug without harming the beneficial bacteria. The precision of abaucin versus a broader spectrum antibiotic could greatly decrease the risk that resistance continues to develop.
Using machine learning models that were trained to infer antibiotic active molecular patterns, this breakthrough was made. Research time from four years of trial and error in labs was reduced to only 48 hours by AI mandatorily.
What the Future of Antibiotic Discovery is going to look like with AI
This new era of drug discovery is just getting started, as this AI based method succeeded. The MIT-McMaster team is now optimizing abaucin for actual clinical investigational use and testing efficacy/safety in reality. They also intend to extend their AI algorithms to antibiotic discovery against other resistant bacteria.
Superbugs are an increasing threat around the world and if AI can rapidly speed drug discovery, the soon-to-come millions in lives saved in the n years after. Reality: Artificial intelligence is not just an idea in Pharma but a happening that is revolutionizing medicine at an unprecedented speed.
Conclusion
Scientists require years to complete what I accomplished in just days. There are great potentials of AI-driven innovation in healthcare as demonstrated by the discovery of abaucin. This will see an extent and magnified effect on antibiotic discovery as well treatment from diseases as ai progresses more. But the fight against superbugs is not over, AI is here to save.
