Scientists from McMaster University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered a new antibiotic, abaucin, that can kill a deadly superbug, Acinetobacter baumannii, using artificial intelligence (AI). Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug-resistant bacteria that poses a particular threat in hospitals, and among patients whose care requires devices such as ventilators and blood catheters. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed it under the most critical group and among priority pathogens listed for research and development of new antibiotics. Scientists screened hundreds of antibacterial compounds using an AI system in an effort to identify new structural classes, resulting in the discovery of abaucin.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making breakthroughs in various fields, including healthcare. Recently, a group of scientists from McMaster University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered a new antibiotic that can kill a deadly superbug, Acinetobacter baumannii, with the use of AI. The study was published in the science journal Nature Chemical Biology and reported by The Guardian.
Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug-resistant bacteria that poses a particular threat in hospitals, especially among patients who require devices such as ventilators and blood catheters. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed it as one of the most critical group and among priority pathogens for research and development of new antibiotics. WHO warns that Acinetobacter can cause severe and often deadly infections such as bloodstream infections and pneumonia.
As seen on CDC, Acinetobacter baumannii is commonly found in the environment, like in soil and water, and poses a significant risk to patients who have open surgery wounds. It can cause infections in the blood, urinary tract, and lungs (pneumonia), or in wounds in other parts of the body. It can also “colonize” or live in a patient without causing infections or symptoms, especially in respiratory secretions (sputum) or open wounds.
The scientists involved in the research used an AI system to screen hundreds of antibacterial compounds in an effort to identify new structural classes. They discovered a brand-new antibacterial chemical they called abaucin as a result of the AI screening.
Gary Liu, a graduate student from MacMaster University who worked on the research, said, “We had a whole bunch of data that was just telling us about which chemicals were able to kill a bunch of bacteria and which weren’t. And then we used machine learning to help us figure out what structural features of the molecules were most important for killing bacteria.”
AI has played a significant role in discovering new antibiotics that can help fight deadly superbugs. This is a positive development, especially at a time when antibiotic resistance is becoming a global health threat. The use of AI in healthcare has a plethora of use, and this breakthrough is just one of the significant ways that it can serve humanity.
AI-powered systems can help in disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and personalized treatment, among other things. AI can analyze large amounts of data and detect patterns that humans may not be able to see, making it a valuable tool in the healthcare industry.
However, as with any technology, there are concerns about the ethical implications of AI in healthcare. There are concerns about privacy, security, and bias in AI algorithms. These concerns need to be addressed to ensure that AI is used ethically and responsibly in healthcare.
All things considered, the discovery of a new antibiotic that can kill a deadly hospital superbug using AI is a significant breakthrough in the field of healthcare. AI has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry, and this breakthrough is just the tip of the iceberg. However, ethical concerns need to be addressed to ensure that AI is used responsibly in healthcare.
