Saudi researcher Dr. Yasser Al-Dhamin, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology at Michigan State University, has achieved promising results in discovering new chemical molecules using artificial intelligence. This success came after receiving funding from a specialized company in Silicon Valley, California.
The results, which were reported by the university on its official website, came after testing several million chemical compounds through machine programs, leading to the discovery of 72 drug compounds, two of which showed distinct activity in targeting immune proteins capable of enhancing the body’s response to combat cancer cells.
Moreover, these studies represent a significant breakthrough in new immunotherapies against cancer, as the effects of the two active compounds were studied on human immune cells in the laboratory, with a focus on enhancing the activity of CD8+ T cells, which play a crucial role in attacking cancer cells.
Dr. Al-Dhamin and his team hope to develop these compounds for future use in clinical trials. He also notes that the use of artificial intelligence has enabled the team to accelerate the process of discovering chemical compounds at an unprecedented pace. Instead of relying on traditional methods that require testing thousands of molecules in the lab, smart programs predicted promising compounds that could interact with target proteins in immune cells.
The team is also currently working to improve the effectiveness of the discovered compounds in cooperation with leading pharmaceutical companies, with the aim of developing sustainable immunotherapies for cancer patients in the future.
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