Bioengineer César de la Fuente and his lab utilize AI tools, specifically Codex and ChatGPT, to search the genomes of living and extinct organisms for new antimicrobial candidates. This approach aims to combat drug-resistant microbes by reducing the initial search for candidate molecules from years to hours.
- The lab trains deep-learning models to recognize patterns in biological sequences within vast genome and protein datasets.
- Codex and ChatGPT are used to brainstorm hypotheses, write code, process data, and bridge gaps between biology, chemistry, and computer science.
- AI helps identify promising signals among enormous possibilities, though ground-truth experiments remain essential for validation.
The integration of AI allows the transdisciplinary team to lower barriers between scientific fields and accelerate workflows, enabling them to explore boundaries where breakthroughs are likely to be discovered.