A scientific study published in the journal Nature has revealed a significant breakthrough in the design of antibodies using artificial intelligence, which could revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry.

A team of scientists led by Nobel laureate Professor David Baker has successfully created new, fully effective antibodies through a generative AI model, a move that will significantly accelerate drug development.The new approach is based on the use of an artificial intelligence model dubbed RFantibody, an improved version of a model the team had previously developed to design proteins.

The model was augmented with additional antibody data, enabling it to generate innovative formulations and predict the best candidates for laboratory testing.

The breakthrough is a shift in bioengineering, with Baker saying the technology is a quantum leap in the development of therapies, pointing to the transition from traditional methods based on biological mimicry and animal experimentation to precise and direct design powered by artificial intelligence.

Antibodies are widely used in drugs aimed at treating cancers and viral diseases, but their discovery has traditionally been a costly and slow process, involving multiple animal trials that take months.

Joe Watson, co-author of the study and co-founder of Xaira Therapeutics, explained that the AI enabled the team to identify antibodies that are able to bind accurately to cancer proteins, even with little difference between them and healthy cells.