New Deep Knowledge AI System Could Resolve Bottlenecks in Drug Research
November 7, 2018 | University of WaterlooEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a new system that could significantly speed up the discovery of new drugs and reduce the need for costly and time-consuming laboratory tests.
The new technology called Pattern to Knowledge (P2K) can predict the binding of biosequences in seconds and potentially reduce bottlenecks in drug research.
P2K uses artificial intelligence (AI) to leverage deep knowledge from data instead of relying solely on classical machine learning.
“P2K is a game changer given its ability to reveal subtle protein associations entangled in complex physiochemical environments and powerfully predict interactions based only on sequence data,” said Andrew Wong, professor, Systems Design Engineering, and Founding Director, Centre for Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (CPAMI). “The ability to access this deep knowledge from proven scientific results will shift biological research going forward. P2K has the power to transform how data could be used in the future.”
Although a large amount of biological sequence data has been collected, extracting meaningful and useful knowledge hasn’t been easy. P2K algorithms tackle this challenge by disentangling multiple associations to identify and predict amino acid bindings that govern protein interactions. Since P2K is much faster than existing biosequence analysis software with almost 30 per cent better prediction accuracy, it could significantly speed up the discovery of new drugs. By drawing information from databases in the Cloud, P2K could predict how tumour proteins and potential cancer treatments would interact.
Although still in the early prototype stage, Professor Wong and his team have made the online P2K system available publicly to researchers to start identifying new bio-sequence interactions.
“Putting this AI technology in the hands of biomedical researchers will generate immediate results, which could be used for future scientific discoveries,” said Antonio Sze-To, research associate, Systems Design Engineering, and co-inventor of P2K.
Since it analyzes sequential data, the applicability of P2K isn’t limited to biomedical research. P2K could benefit the financial industry by making useful associations and predictions for smart trading or the cybersecurity sector by predicting the likelihood of a potential cyber attack.
About the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo is Canada’s top innovation university. With more than 36,000 students we are home to the world's largest co-operative education system of its kind. Our unmatched entrepreneurial culture, combined with an intensive focus on research, powers one of the top innovation hubs in the world. Find out more at uwaterloo.ca.
Suggested Items
Lockheed Martin Australia, The Department Of Defence Sign Strategic Partnership Head Contract
04/26/2024 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin Australia signed a landmark AUD$500 million contract with the Department of Defence to build Australia’s future Joint Air Battle Management System under project - AIR6500 Phase 1 (AIR6500-1).
Cadence, TSMC Collaborate on Wide-Ranging Innovations to Transform System and Semiconductor Design
04/25/2024 | Cadence Design SystemsCadence Design Systems, Inc. and TSMC have extended their longstanding collaboration by announcing a broad range of innovative technology advancements to accelerate design, including developments ranging from 3D-IC and advanced process nodes to design IP and photonics.
Siemens’ Breakthrough Veloce CS Transforms Emulation and Prototyping with Three Novel Products
04/24/2024 | Siemens Digital Industries SoftwareSiemens Digital Industries Software launched the Veloce™ CS hardware-assisted verification and validation system. In a first for the EDA (Electronic Design Automation) industry, Veloce CS incorporates hardware emulation, enterprise prototyping and software prototyping and is built on two highly advanced integrated circuits (ICs) – Siemens’ new, purpose-built Crystal accelerator chip for emulation and the AMD Versal™ Premium VP1902 FPGA adaptive SoC (System-on-a-chip) for enterprise and software prototyping.
Taiyo Circuit Automation Installs New DP3500 into Fuba Printed Circuits, Tunisia
04/25/2024 | Taiyo Circuit AutomationTaiyo Circuit Automation is proud to be partnered with Fuba Printed Circuits, Tunisia part of the OneTech Group of companies, a leading printed circuit board manufacturer based out of Bizerte, Tunisia, on their first installation of Taiyo Circuit Automation DP3500 coater.
Vicor Power Orders Hentec Industries/RPS Automation Pulsar Solderability Testing System
04/24/2024 | Hentec Industries/RPS AutomationHentec Industries/RPS Automation, a leading manufacturer of selective soldering, lead tinning and solderability test equipment, is pleased to announce that Vicor Power has finalized the purchase of a Pulsar solderability testing system.