Developing snakebite treatments wasn't on the radar of David Baker, a computational biophysicist at the University of Washington in Seattle, when his lab unveiled a game-changing protein-design program called RFdiffusion in late 2022. Inspired by image-generating AI tools such as DALL-E and Midjourney, the program proved adept at designing small proteins that bind strongly to target proteins, which is essential for blocking the harmful effects of snake venom.
It's gone from 'we couldn't even do this' to proof-of-concept work solving actual problems. AI has drastically reduced the time needed to design proteins that can effectively neutralize toxins, leading to potential breakthroughs in treatments for snakebites.
#ai-in-healthcare #snakebite-treatment #computational-protein-design #tropical-diseases #medical-breakthroughs
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