A multi-agent system for automating scientific discovery - Nature

Scientific discovery relies on iterative observation, hypothesis generation, experimentation, and data analysis. A multi-agent system named Robin integrates literature search agents with data analysis agents to generate hypotheses, propose experiments, interpret results, and update hypotheses. Using Robin, promising therapeutic candidates for dry age-related macular degeneration were identified and validated in vitro. Robin proposed enhancing retinal pigment epithelium phagocytosis as a therapeutic strategy and confirmed efficacy for ripasudil and KL001. Ripasudil, a clinically used ROCK inhibitor, had not previously been proposed for dAMD. Robin also designed and analyzed a follow-up RNA-seq experiment to investigate the mechanism, revealing ABCA1 upregulation and suggesting a possible novel target. All hypotheses, experimental directions, analyses, and figures were produced within an iterative lab-in-the-loop framework.

"Scientific discovery is driven by the iterative process of observation, hypothesis generation, experimentation, and data analysis. Despite recent advancements in applying artificial intelligence to biology, no system has yet automated all these stages [1, 2, 3]. Here, we introduce Robin, the first multi-agent system capable of fully automating both hypothesis generation and data analysis for experimental biology."

"By integrating literature search agents with data analysis agents, Robin can generate hypotheses, propose experiments, interpret experimental results, and generate updated hypotheses, achieving a semi-autonomous approach to scientific discovery. By applying this system, we were able to identify promising therapeutic candidates for dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD), the major cause of blindness in the developed world [4, 5]."

"Robin proposed enhancing retinal pigment epithelium phagocytosis as a therapeutic strategy, and identified and confirmed in vitro efficacy for ripasudil and KL001. Ripasudil is a clinically-used Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor that has never previously been proposed for treating dAMD. To elucidate the mechanism of ripasudil-induced upregulation of phagocytosis, Robin then proposed and analyzed a follow-up RNA-seq experiment, which revealed upregulation of ABCA1, a lipid efflux pump and possible novel target."

"All hypotheses, experimental directions, data analyses, and data figures in the main text of this report were produced by Robin. As the first AI system to autonomously discover and validate novel therapeutic candidates within an iterative lab-in-the-loop framework, Robin establishes a new paradigm for AI-driven scientific discovery."

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