AI-designed drugs give scientists foothold in mission to thwart antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have achieved a breakthrough in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, using artificial intelligence (AI) to design completely new antibiotics from scratch—molecules that have never before existed in nature or laboratories.

- Binayak Dasgupta

The Al-designed drugs successfully treated some infections in laboratory animals, including strains of bacteria that resist all current antibiotics, according to research published on Wednesday in the journal Cell. The work represents the first time that artificial intelligence has been used to create entirely novel antibiotic compounds rather than modify existing ones.

Antibiotic resistance has emerged as one of the most pressing global health threats. A major study published in The Lancet in September 2024 estimated more than a million deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections globally each year since 1990, with such fatalities projected to increase by nearly 70 per cent by 2050. The analysis warns that more than 39 million people could die from drug-re-sistant infections over the next 25 years without decisive action.

“We're excited about the new possibilities that this project opens up for antibiotic development,” said James Collins, the Termeer professor of Medical Engineering and Science in MIT's Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, who led the research. “Our work shows the power of Al from a drug design standpoint, and enables us to exploit much larger chemical spaces that were previously inaccessible,” a statement by the university quoted Collins as saying.

The MIT researchers found success with two pathogens: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and drug resistant strains of gonorrhoea.