AI antibiotics for superbugs could lead to ‘golden age of discovery'
AI virtually invented more than 50 million compounds and investigated whether they could kill MRSA and gonorrhoea, two of the most common superbugs.
More than 52,000 people a year in the UK catch antibiotic-resistant infections, which cause around 2,000 deaths annually.
Antimicrobial resistance, which creates superbugs, has been called the 'silent pandemic' and the problem of antibiotic resistance is set to get worse.
These deadly infections occur when a bacteria is treated with a drug but works out ways of neutralising the medicine.
The genetic protections make drugs less effective and can make common infections lethal.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used AI to come up with completely new ways of targeting these pathogens in the hope of making a breakthrough against superbugs.
'We're excited because we show that generative AI can be used to design completely new antibiotics,' Prof James Collins, the leader of the project at MIT, told the BBC.
'AI can enable us to come up with molecules, cheaply and quickly and in this way, expand our arsenal, and really give us a leg up in the battle of our wits against the genes of superbugs.'
AI was used to make as many hypothetical chemical compounds as possible that could target and kill the two bacterial infections.
The algorithms then filtered the results to show only those that worked in a novel way, had strong antimicrobial properties and were not toxic. This left one million possible new antibiotics in the virtual database.
Dr Aartia Krishnan, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT, said this step was key because the team's goal was to find drugs that worked in a completely different way to anything else ever used by doctors.
Scientists then tried to physically make around 170 of the most promising compounds. Only 24 of the chemicals could be created in a lab, with two for gonorrhoea and 22 against MRSA.
Tests in cells and mice found one of the novel gonorrhoea antibiotics and one of the MRSA compounds were able to kill bacteria.
'Both compounds exhibited mechanisms of action distinct from those of often-used antibiotics and were effective in reducing bacterial titers in different animal models of infection,' the study authors wrote in their paper, published in Cell.
'Additionally, both compounds exhibited a structure-activity landscape that can be productively used for further optimisation.
'Together, our results enable the generative design of two unique structural classes of antibacterial compounds and demonstrate the ability of our platform to explore uncharted regions of chemical space.'
A company affiliated with the MIT research project is now investigating if the two antibiotics, dubbed NG1 and DNA1, can be adapted for preclinical trials.
'We are exploring analogues, as well as working on advancing the best candidates preclinically, through medicinal chemistry work,' said Prof Collins.
'We are also excited about applying the platforms that Aarti and the team have developed toward other bacterial pathogens of interest, notably Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wolds rescue centre reports influx of dehydrated hedgehogs
A hedgehog rescue centre says it is caring for dozens of animals found severely dehydrated in the high Hedgehog Rescue, based in Driffield, East Yorkshire, said the problem was being made worse by the presence of parasitic fluke eggs in the puddles hedgehogs do find to drink from. "It's a killer, no doubt about it, and it drives them absolutely demented," said Ann Day, who runs the service. Mrs Day said there were 54 hedgehogs being cared for at the centre and they were "just coming in thick and fast, mainly because of the heat". Fluke is passed on if the droppings of an infected animal contaminate water and, although it is simple to treat if it is caught in time, the hospital is almost at capacity. One of the hedgehogs being treated, which the centre has named Harry, was born with only three legs and now has infection causes him to be wide awake in the daytime, which is unusual as hedgehogs are nocturnal animals. Mrs Day said he most likely picked up the microscopic worm by drinking water infected by the droppings of another animal. If left untreated, it would eventually kill him, she said, but added she hoped Harry could be released back into the wild after a few weeks of care. The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said there was evidence other wildlife was also being impacted by the warm temperatures this summer. "There are already fewer dragonflies and damselflies, a significant food source for many birds and other aquatic wildlife, and pools and ponds have dried up entirely, removing a vital source of water for birds and mammals alike to drink, bathe and cool down," a spokesperson said. Fay Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, said: "It's such a simple action, but placing shallow dishes of clean water around your garden can be a lifeline to thirsty garden wildlife – keep them topped up and add a few pebbles so insects can perch and safely drink too." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
5 minutes ago
- BBC News
New North East Lincolnshire charity wants to help more veterans
A new charity says it wants to help more veterans and active military personnel in North East is a peer-to-peer network offering guidance, support and access to charity provides support to the armed forces community but wants to reach more people who may need was established to help the community navigate the challenges of military life and beyond, combat isolation and bring the community together. The newly registered charity has trustees who are veterans of the Army or Royal Air Force. Vice-chair Marc Ireland said: "We just want to help those who need help, which may be from friendship, to mental health issues, housing, access to medical care and so on. "We are passionate about what we do and we are grateful for the support that we have received from like-minded people."NEL4Heroes works with other charities and organisations to provide support for veterans and serving military personnel. It organises breakfast mornings at Centre4 in Grimsby, veterans football in Old Clee and talking groups, known as GeoLisa groups, which are supported by Ireland told BBC Radio Humberside: "We have 7,000 veterans in the North East Lincolnshire area according to the 2021 census. "Where are they? We want to hear from you - the veterans. We want to help prevent loneliness, social isolation, prevention of veterans taking their own life because they can't cope and not know where to turn."The charity can be contacted through its Facebook group. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Telegraph
5 minutes ago
- Telegraph
First drug to slow down progress of type 1 diabetes gets approval
The first drug that can slow the onset of type 1 diabetes has been given the green light for use in the UK. Teplizumab has been licensed for use in adults and children aged eight and older so they can live 'normal lives' for longer. The UK is the first in Europe to approve the drug with experts hailing it as a 'breakthrough moment'. In trials the drug has shown it can stop the onset of type 1 diabetes by up to three years. While it has been licensed for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the medicines regulator, a decision on whether it can be used on the NHS is yet to be made. Eligible patients will be able to access it privately. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) will decide if the drug is cost effective enough to be paid for by the NHS. About 400,000 people in the UK have type 1 diabetes, a lifelong condition which causes the immune system to attack insulin -producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin helps the body use sugar for energy, and without this hormone, blood sugar levels can become dangerously high. Type 1 diabetes needs constant management to keep blood sugar within range, with patients required to take insulin through injections or pumps. Teplizumab trains the immune system to stop attacking pancreatic cells. It is taken by an IV drip for a minimum of 30 minutes over 14 consecutive days. The drug, which is already approved in the US, has been authorised for use by the MHRA to delay the onset of stage three type 1 diabetes. The condition develops gradually in three stages over months or years. Stage three is usually when people start to experience blood sugar problems and are diagnosed with the condition. According to the MHRA, teplizumab can be used in people with stage two type 1 diabetes, which is an earlier stage of the disease during which patients are at a high risk of progressing to stage three. One of the first adults to receive the drug in the UK as part of a trial was Hannah Robinson, 36. The dentist and mother of two discovered during pregnancy she was in the early stages of developing type 1 diabetes and is receiving the treatment at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She said: 'This new drug offers more freedom and the chance to focus on my health before I have to start thinking differently and managing life as somebody needing daily insulin. 'This isn't just about what I eat or monitoring my glucose, it is also about having more control and not feeling defined by my condition. This treatment could potentially pave the way for a future cure for type 1 diabetes, which is incredible. I feel very lucky to be part of this.' Ahmed Moussa, general manager of general medicines UK and Ireland at Sanofi, which makes teplizumab, said: 'One hundred years ago, the discovery of insulin revolutionised diabetes care. Today's news marks a big step forward.' Parth Narendran, a professor of diabetes medicine at the University of Birmingham and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, said: 'Teplizumab essentially trains the immune system to stop attacking the beta cells in the pancreas, allowing the pancreas to produce insulin without interference. 'This can allow eligible patients to live normal lives, delaying the need for insulin injections and the full weight of the disease's daily management by up to three years. It allows people to prepare for disease progression rather than facing an abrupt emergency presentation.' Karen Addington, chief executive of the charity Breakthrough T1D, said: 'I am personally delighted and welcome the MHRA's approval of teplizumab. 'After years of research, clinical trials and drug development, we have an incredible breakthrough.' Reacting to the announcement, Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research and clinical at Diabetes UK, said: 'Today's landmark licensing of teplizumab in the UK marks a turning point in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. 'For the first time, we have a medicine that targets the root cause of the condition, offering three precious extra years free from the relentless demands of managing type 1 diabetes.' She added that the 'next steps are critical'. 'To ensure teplizumab reaches everyone who could benefit, we need it to be made available on the NHS, and the rollout of a screening programme to identify those with early-stage type 1 diabetes,' she said.
