Have you ever felt that science and technology discoveries are coming faster than ever? It is a law that accelerates returns. The idea is that every breakthrough will fuel the next and speed up progress.
Joan Conaway
Although the discussion of the details of this concept continues, especially in the world of computing, I think the basic premise still captures what scientific research is. The development and growth of artificial intelligence is one obvious example, and the American Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is actively investigating the implications and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in many areas of our research.
This issue of ASBMB today focuses on the opportunities and challenges presented by the rapid development of AI in research, but the final edition and recent conference for undergraduate educators highlight its use in educational settings. In this issue, you will find articles on how AI is conducting antibiotics, ophthalmology, and transcriptional research. You can also find member essays that share members' experiences using AI in the classroom for coding and clinical research.
This is a very transformative topic, and the 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting will feature an extended deep dive session on AI called “I, Biochemist: Automation and AI in the Lab.” Polly Fordyce and Merck & Co at Stanford University. The session, hosted by Hua Su Su of the company, will showcase the transformational power of AI, machine learning and robotics in biochemistry, highlighting how advances in computationality drive innovation from high-throughput experiments to large-scale data analysis. We are particularly looking forward to launching this deep dive session with a special plenary featuring Tanja Kortemme from the University of California, San Francisco.
Join ASBMB 2026 for all the great sciences, share your research and plan to connect with the molecular life science community. Be sure to renew your membership. Members receive discounts on abstract submissions and registrations and are eligible for travel awards.
Scientific advances don't just move forward. It accelerates and opens the door to unimaginable possibilities just a little while ago. Your experiments, insights, and discoveries add to the ever-growing knowledge.
So read on to learn more about groundbreaking discoveries. AI is enabled. We look forward to continuing our conversation at the 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting and hearing more about what you are enabling.
