Harnessing Deadly Viruses to Revolutionize Gene Therapy
HIV and SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) are just two examples of the many dangerous viruses that threaten humanity. But imagine if these feared viruses were to become the solution to certain diseases.
This is the bet taken by an international team of scientists who are working to transform these deadly viruses into revolutionary gene therapy tools, with the help of artificial intelligence.
Before understanding the ingenious process of the scientists, let's take a closer look at how viruses work. Like tiny engineers, viruses use the cellular machinery of the body they invade to reproduce. This same invasive method that can be fatal to us can inspire researchers: they are trying to find a way to take advantage of this behavior for therapeutic purposes.
Scientists have tried to mimic the structure of a virus with artificial nanocages, but so far, they have not been able to equal its complexity and capacity. However, Sangmin Lee, a professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech) in South Korea, and David Baker, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle and Nobel laureate in chemistry 2024, believe they are on the right track and close to achieving a perfect copy thanks to AI. Artificial intelligence is filling in the gaps of the team by optimizing the design of nanocages to contain as much genetic material as possible.
The implications of such a discovery could be invaluable to humanity, especially since the first prototypes of AI-designed nanostructures have proven functional, delivering therapeutic genes to marked cells.
A significant breakthrough in biotechnology, this could lead to the treatment of genetic disorders, the development of vaccines, and the administration of medicines with surgical precision.
