MIT researchers tackle antimicrobial resistance with AI and synthetic biology
Drug-resistant infections continue to rise globally whilst development of new antibacterial tools has stagnated, prompting MIT’s response.
A pioneering research initiative at MIT is deploying AI and synthetic biology to combat the escalating global crisis of antimicrobial resistance, which has been fuelled by decades of antibiotic overuse and misuse.
The $3 million, three-year project, led by Professor James J. Collins at MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering, centres on developing programmable antibacterials designed to target specific pathogens.
The approach uses AI to design small proteins that turn off specific bacterial functions. These designer molecules would be produced and delivered by engineered microbes, offering a more precise alternative to traditional antibiotics.
Antimicrobial resistance impacts low and middle-income countries most severely, where limited diagnostic infrastructure causes treatment delays. Drug-resistant infections continue to rise globally, whilst the development of new antibacterial tools has stagnated.
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