artificial intelligence maybe anxiety But this technology has already done wonders for mankind. Scientists have harnessed AI to discover new antibiotics that can fight drug-resistant superbugs, considered a “major” threat by the World Health Organization.
Scientists at McMaster University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were able to use machine learning to discover a deadly new antibiotic. Acinetobacter baumanniiIt is a bacteria commonly found in hospitals and can cause serious infections. according to According to the results of a study published last week.
Acinetobacter baumannii It can be transmitted through the air as droplets over short distances, but most commonly spreads from person to person through the hands of health care workers.
Jonathan Stokes, lead author of the study.Image: McMaster University
It has become resistant to most antibiotics and the World Health Organization. Said In 2017, new antibiotics were said to be “urgently needed” to combat it.
But research says AI may be well on its way to achieving that goal.
“Machine learning approaches enable rapid exploration of chemical space, increasing the odds of discovering new chemicals with antimicrobial activity,” the study was published in the journal. natural chemical biology.
Machine learning is a branch of AI in which computers automatically learn from past data. When fighting disease, this technology can be used to screen hundreds to billions of molecules with appropriate antimicrobial properties.
In this case, scientists screened 7,500 molecules to find a new antibacterial compound called abaucin. Further testing is needed before use, but laboratory tests have shown it can treat infected wounds in mice.
They added that this is a “promising lead” and “highlights the utility of machine learning in antibiotic discovery.”
