Summary
A major UK project is using artificial intelligence (AI) to fight drug-resistant superbugs. The initiative, supported by the Fleming Initiative and GSK, aims to speed up the discovery of new antibiotics and tackle hard-to-treat bacteria. The effort will focus on using AI to understand and overcome bacterial defenses.
Key Facts
- The UK project uses AI to address infections that are resistant to current treatments.
- This is a collaboration between the Fleming Initiative and pharmaceutical company GSK.
- The project will invest £45 million in researching new antibiotics.
- Drug-resistant superbugs kill about one million people annually worldwide.
- The research will focus on Gram-negative bacteria, which are hard to treat due to their protective barriers.
- AI will help identify how to keep antibiotics inside these bacteria to make them effective.
- The project also aims to predict and manage the spread of superbugs and deadly fungi using AI.
- This is the largest investment in a UK antibiotic project, according to a researcher involved.
