#drugs

#drugs

Labs Are Using AI To Invent New Drugs This new development is all thanks to artificial intelligence. Well, to be specific, thanks to the explosion of text-to-image models, also known as diffusion models (such as the OpenAI’s DALL-E 2 diffusion model) are being used to create new types of drugs.For reference, this kind of generative AI is used to create new designs for proteins that have never been seen before. This is done by providing the model with a random mess of pixels, which it will try to turn into an image.Multiple biotech labs have announced their embarkment into using these models. One of them is the Boston-based startup Generate Biomedicines which created a new diffusion model called Chroma. According to the company, their program is the “DALL-E 2 of biology.” So we expect that it sort of operates the same way as the mentioned diffusion model. But why are these establishments focused on protein creation for drugs? Well, it’s because these components are in charge of a lot of bodily functions. They digest food, contract muscles, detect light, drive the immune system, and so much more. Proteins also play a big part in driving ailments out of the body. The promise in finding new protein structures that can help the body is immense, according to Gevorg Grigoryan, CEO of Generate Biomedicines. He also hopes that AI can help them discover more in minutes, which can speed up the production and creation of new medicine.Image credit: Generate Biomedicines#medicine #drugs #biotech #laboratories #research #artificialintelligence #computers #diffusionmodels #DALLE #OpenAI

Horseshoe Crabs Usefulness to Humans Puts Them in DangerHorseshoe crabs don't have immune systems like we do. They don't produce antibodies to fight off infection. Instead, they rely on the chemistry of their blue blood. It contains limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), which inactivates bacterial endotoxins. This compound is used in the pharmaceutical industry to test vaccines, drugs, and medical devices. Every year, American biomedical companies harvest a half-million horseshoe crabs to harvest their blood. They don't take all the blood, and they return the crabs to the sea, but still about 30% of them die from the experience. Also, by missing mating season, these crabs will not produce 80,000 eggs each, which not only reduces their descendants but also deprives seabirds of their normal diet of crab eggs. In the Delaware Bay, the horseshoe crab population is only 25% of what it was in 1990. Fortunately, scientists have developed an artificial substitute for LAL, recombinant Factor C (rFC), that performs just as well for human drug testing. Unfortunately, while rFC is used in China and the European Union, it has yet to be approved for use in the US. Read about the efforts to save both horseshoe crabs and develop new drugs and vaccines at The Verge.Find even more information on horseshoe crabs at TYWKIWDBI.#horseshoecrab #drugs #blood #ecosystem #pharmaceutical