AI Designs New Antibiotics to Fight Superbugs

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create two promising antibiotics that could target drug-resistant gonorrhoea and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

The MIT scientists designed more than 36 million theoretical compounds and screened them for antibacterial potential, focusing on molecules unlike currently available antibiotics. Two candidates emerged: NG1 and DN1, which proved effective against Neisseria gonorrhoeae and MRSA infections in mice, respectively.

Both appear to act by disrupting bacterial cell membranes, with NG1 targeting a protein called LptA, an unusual drug target.

“We’re excited about the new possibilities that this project opens up for antibiotics development,” said study lead, Professor James Collins. “Our work shows the power of AI from a drug design standpoint, and enables us to exploit much larger chemical spaces that were previously inaccessible.”

The drugs will undergo further refinement by the non-profit organisation Phare Bio before clinical testing. Experts say the approach could revitalise antibiotic discovery, which has stagnated since the 1980s, but warn that safety trials must be completed and manufacturing hurdles remain.

The breakthrough offers fresh hope in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, which is responsible for millions of deaths globally each year.

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