Scientists are turning to Earth’s oldest life forms, known as Archaea, for new solutions against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have used advanced artificial intelligence to unlock these microbial treasures, opening the door to next-generation antibiotic discovery.
Archaea are a distinct domain of life that thrive in extreme environments and have adapted to endure conditions where few other organisms survive. These microbes might harbor novel biochemical defenses, including molecules that could serve as effective antibiotics.
The research team developed an algorithmic tool called APEX using deep learning, which scanned proteomic data from over 230 species of Archaea and identified more than 12,000 candidate antimicrobial peptides. These novel peptides exhibited distinctive characteristics, particularly in their electric charge distribution, setting them apart from established antimicrobial peptides.
The AI-powered approach accelerated the discovery process dramatically, highlighting the most promising peptide candidates. The researchers selected eighty archaeasins for experimental validation against a panel of drug-resistant bacteria, demonstrating that an impressive 93% of these tested peptides inhibited bacterial growth in at least one strain.
Further experiments revealed the clinical promise of these molecules, with three selected archaeasins arresting bacterial dissemination effectively in animal models. Notably, one archaeasin demonstrated efficacy comparable to polymyxin B, a potent antibiotic currently reserved as a last resort due to its toxicity and the growing spectrum of resistant pathogens it targets.
This innovative research signals a potentially paradigm-shifting chapter in antibiotic discovery. The researchers plan to enhance the APEX platform by incorporating structural prediction capabilities, which could refine candidate selection and expedite the design of optimized molecules with enhanced stability, reduced toxicity, and improved pharmacodynamics.
Source: https://bioengineer.org/ancient-microbes-yield-new-antibiotics-discovered-through-ai-innovation