Scientists at New York University Abu Dhabi have developed a powerful new artificial intelligence tool called LA⁴SR. This allows researchers to quickly identify previously overlooked proteins in microalgae, tiny organisms that produce much of the world's oxygen and support entire aquatic ecosystems.
This breakthrough will enable scientists to accelerate the search for new natural compounds and enzymes that can support future clean energy solutions. It will also help researchers better understand how microbes adapt to changing environments, opening new possibilities for monitoring water quality and tracking how ecosystems respond to climate change.
Microalgae are essential to life on Earth, but many of their proteins are mixed with proteins from other microorganisms, making them difficult to detect. Traditional computer programs often miss large portions of these algal proteins or take weeks to analyze.
To solve this challenge, the NYUAD team trained an AI system to read protein sequences the way a language model reads text. As a result, LA⁴SR is able to separate real algal proteins from background noise with near-perfect accuracy, and can perform this analysis 10,000 times faster than existing methods.
“Microalgae are some of the most important organisms on Earth, but much of their biology remains hidden from us,” said Kourosh Salehi Ashtiani, associate professor of biology at New York University, Abu Dhabi. “With LA⁴SR, we are finally able to see these proteins clearly, making the invisible visible. By training AI to capture genomic information that standard tools miss, we are accelerating marine biology for health and environmental innovation,” added David Nesson, a senior research fellow at New York University Abu Dhabi and lead author of the study.
LA⁴SR represents an important step forward in uncovering how Earth's smallest organisms help sustain life on Earth.
Times Higher Education ranks New York University among the top 31 universities in the world, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest ranked university in the world in the UAE. The graduating class includes 24 Rhodes Scholars, a testament to the high level of talent cultivated at the university. In terms of faculty and research, NYUAD currently has four Nobel Prize winners, has established more than 90 faculty laboratories and projects, and has produced more than 9,500 internationally recognized publications. According to the Nature Index, NYUAD is ranked number 1 in the UAE for publishing world-class scientific journals.
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