PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

AI can speed up drug development

AI can speed up drug development
2024-08-22
(Press-News.org) Artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify molecules that could serve as new drugs for mental health disorders. AI can be used to predict the three-dimensional structures of important receptors and thereby speed up the development of potential drugs. This is the result of a new study from Uppsala University published in Science Advances.

In drug development, experimental methods are often used to determine the three-dimensional structures of target proteins and to understand how molecules bind to them. This information is needed to design drug molecules efficiently. However, the process to determine structures can be demanding, meaning this strategy cannot always be used.

Thanks to the development of AI methods, the structures of proteins can now be predicted with higher accuracy than previously.

In the study, researchers at Uppsala University used AI to create a model of the unknown three-dimensional structure of a receptor. In this case the TAAR1 receptor, which is an interesting target protein for the development of drugs for mental health disorders. Drug molecules that activate TAAR1 have shown promising results in the treatment of schizophrenia and depression.

Using supercomputers, the researchers then searched chemical libraries containing millions of molecules to find those that best fitted the model. Molecules predicted to bind to the receptor were then tested in experiments by research colleagues at Karolinska Institutet. An unexpectedly large number of the molecules activated TAAR1, and one of the most potent also showed promising effects in animal experiments.

During the final stage of the study, experimental structures for TAAR1 suddenly became available and the researchers were able to compare them with the AI models.

“The accuracy of the structures generated with AI was astonishing – I couldn't believe it. The results also show that modelling with AI is significantly better than traditional methods. We can now use the same strategy for receptors that we previously could only dream of working with,” explains Jens Carlsson, who led Uppsala University’s part of the study.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
AI can speed up drug development AI can speed up drug development 2 AI can speed up drug development 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Bilateral reference framework for high-resolution dichotomous image segmentation

Bilateral reference framework for high-resolution dichotomous image segmentation
2024-08-22
A research team has developed a computer vision technique that can perform dichotomous image segmentation, high-resolution salient object detection, and concealed object detection in the same framework. Their novel bilateral reference framework (BiRefNet) is able to capture tiny-pixel features and holds potential for a wide range of practical computer vision applications.   The work is published in the journal CAAI Artificial Intelligence Research on August 22.   In computer vision research, ...

The future of robotics: Brain-inspired technologies paving the way

The future of robotics: Brain-inspired technologies paving the way
2024-08-22
In the ever-evolving field of robotics, a groundbreaking approach has emerged, revolutionizing how robots perceive, navigate, and interact with their environments. This new frontier, known as brain-inspired navigation technology, integrates insights from neuroscience into robotics, offering enhanced capabilities and efficiency. Brain-inspired navigation technologies are not just a mere improvement over traditional methods; they represent a paradigm shift. By mimicking the neural mechanisms of animals, these technologies provide robots with the ability to navigate through complex and unknown terrains with unprecedented accuracy ...

IHME’s 2024 Roux Prize awarded to Community Health Impact Coalition CEO – recognized for contributions to improve population health

2024-08-22
On behalf of the Community Health Impact Coalition (CHIC), Dr. Madeleine Ballard, global health leader and CEO of CHIC, is the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s 2024 Roux Prize winner. The award recognizes Dr. Ballard’s work alongside thousands of community health workers (CHWs) to secure quality care for all, through evidence-based health systems benefiting millions of people across the world.  Half of the world's population lacks access to essential health services. Around the globe, CHWs have stepped up to address this critical gap and deliver care in a way that improves access, increases equity, and saves lives. Despite their ...

New detectable gravitational wave source from collapsing stars predicted from simulations

New detectable gravitational wave source from collapsing stars predicted from simulations
2024-08-22
The death of a massive, rapidly spinning star can shake the universe. And the resulting ripples — known as gravitational waves — could be felt by instruments on Earth, according to new research published August 22 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. These new sources of gravitational waves just await discovery, the scientists behind the research predict. The gravitational waves emerge following the violent deaths of rapidly rotating stars 15 to 20 times the mass of the sun. Upon running ...

New study examines use of opioids for chronic cough

2024-08-22
INDIANAPOLIS – Chronic cough, with symptoms lasting more than eight weeks, affects approximately one in 10 adults. Cough is among the most common reasons for seeking medical care in the United States, yet chronic cough is difficult to treat. One of the largest studies of chronic cough and one of the first to explore the use of opioids, which are known to suppress cough, to treat these patients, has found that 20 percent of patients with chronic cough received a prescription for a cough suppressant containing an opioid. With the goals of estimating opioid prescription in the chronic cough population and of informing alternative treatment ...

SwRI develops novel methodology for measuring blood-brain barrier permeability

SwRI develops novel methodology for measuring blood-brain barrier permeability
2024-08-22
SAN ANTONIO — August 22, 2024 —Scientists at Southwest Research Institute have developed a new screening method to identify drug formulations that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), to facilitate treatment of brain diseases and conditions. “The BBB protects the brain and central nervous system from potentially harmful substances in the bloodstream, regulating the transport of essential nutrients and ions while maintaining the stability of the central nervous system,” said Research Engineer Nicholas McMahon, from SwRI’s Bioengineering group. “However, the very characteristics that make the BBB such an ...

Role of bitter polyphenols in the regulation of blood sugar

Role of bitter polyphenols in the regulation of blood sugar
2024-08-22
Bioactive compounds like polyphenols and their health benefits have long captured public attention and interest. Commonly present in plant-based food like fruits, vegetables, seeds, coffee, and tea, the polyphenols have a strong bitter taste and, in the normal course, is excreted by our body due to poor absorption. The polyphenols interact with human bitter taste receptors also known as Type 2 taste receptors (T2R) expressed within and outside the oral cavity. Notably, the activation of T2R expressed along the ...

Promising treatment for rectal cancer confirmed in major study

Promising treatment for rectal cancer confirmed in major study
2024-08-22
A new treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer shows favourable results in that surgery can sometimes be avoided completely. It also reduces the risk of recurrence. The method has been confirmed as effective in a comprehensive study conducted at Uppsala University and published in eClinicalMedicine. “The tumour disappears completely more often, thereby increasing the chance of avoiding surgery and retaining normal rectum and rectal function. Moreover, there are fewer metastases,” says Bengt Glimelius, Professor of Oncology ...

Chronic cough may be hereditary

Chronic cough may be hereditary
2024-08-22
Chronic cough is among the most common reasons for seeking medical care, with middle-aged women the group most affected. New studies at Uppsala University also show that this condition appears to be a hereditary phenomenon. The studies have been published in ERJ Open Research and PLOS ONE. “More than 10% of the population has a chronic cough, which has been shown to entail several negative consequences: reduced quality of life, reduced ability to work and voice problems. At present, we have insufficient knowledge about ...

Universal flu vaccine candidate protects against infection in mice

2024-08-22
Highlights: Flu vaccine efficacy varies year to year. A universal flu vaccine would protect people against all influenza strains that infect humans and last more than a season. A new vaccine candidate incorporates proteins from 8 strains of influenza. Recent tests of the candidate show efficacy in animal models, and the researchers hope to move to clinical trials soon.   Washington, D.C.—Annual flu vaccines protect against severe infection, but they vary in efficacy and may not match the most virulent strains ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

How does chemotherapy disrupt circadian rhythms?

A new bystander effect? Aggression can be contagious when observing it in peers.

Do you see what I see? People share brain responses for colors.

Blood test could streamline early Alzheimer's detection

New and simple detection method for nanoplastics.

Young children are not the main drivers of language change

Tarlatamab with anti-PD-L1 as first-line maintenance after chemo-immunotherapy for ES-SCLC demonstrates acceptable safety profile and unprecedented overall survival

GLP-1 RAs and cardiovascular and kidney outcomes by body mass index in type 2 diabetes

Ambient air pollution and the severity of Alzheimer disease neuropathology

Ocean warming puts vital marine microbe Prochlorococcus at risk

Nicotine pouches may offer path to reduced tobacco harm, Rutgers study finds

Duke-NUS study reveals how dengue rewires the immune system, reshaping vaccine response

Dr. Gianluca Ianiro wins a prestigious grant from the European Research Council (ERC)

‘Rogue’ DNA rings reveal earliest clues to deadly brain cancer’s growth

Clinical study deepens understanding of mesothelioma and opens the door to potential treatment options

New study and major data updates expand the Kids First data ecosystem

Seaweed snare: Sargassum stops sea turtle hatchlings in their tracks

Scientists uncover key to decoupling economic growth from pollution in developing countries

Frailty fuels gut imbalance and post-surgery gastrointestinal risks

BMS-986504 demonstrates durable responses in MTAP-deleted NSCLC, including EGFR and ALK-positive tumors

Phase III trial finds hypofractionated radiotherapy with chemotherapy offers comparable survival and lower toxicity to conventional schedule in LS-SCLC

Lung cancer screening benefits adults up to age 80 if surgical candidates, UK study finds

Video assisted thoracoscopy surgery reduces mortality by 21 percent compared to lobectomy

NADIM ADJUVANT trial suggests benefit of adjuvant chemo-immunotherapy in resected stage IB–IIIA NSCLC

EA5181 phase 3 trial finds no OS benefit for concurrent and consolidative durvalumab vs consolidation alone in unresectable stage 3 NSCLC

Training to improve memory

Are patients undergoing surgery for early-stage cancer at risk of persistent opioid use?

Black youth, especially Black girls, use mental health services less than their White peers

Canada must protect youth from sports betting advertising

First-in-human trial shows promising results for DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate SHR-4849 in relapsed small cell lung cancer

[Press-News.org] AI can speed up drug development