For the first time, Australian scientists have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate a ready-to-use biological protein, in this case, one that can kill antibiotic resistant bacteria like E. coli.
The study, published in Nature Communications, provides a new way to combat the growing crisis caused by antibiotic resistant super bugs. By using AI in this way, Australian science has now joined countries like the US and China having developed AI platforms capable of rapidly generating thousands of ready-to-use proteins, paving the way for faster, more affordable drug development and diagnostics that could transform biomedical research and patient care.
The Nature Communications paper is co-led by Dr. Rhys Grinter and Associate Professor Gavin Knott, a Snow Medical Fellow, who led the new AI Protein Design Program with nodes at the University of Melbourne Bio21 Institute and Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.
According to Dr. Grinter and A/Prof. Knott, the AI Protein Design Platform used in this work is the first in Australia that models the work done by David Baker (who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year) developing an end-to-end approach that could create a wide range of proteins. "These proteins are now being developed as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and tiny sensors, with many other applications yet to be tested" Associate Professor Knott said.
Know more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/2507...

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