Scientists at the University of Glasgow have used AI technology developed by Google’s Deep Mind and Meta to investigate viruses and their protein structures, revealing never-before-seen viral mechanisms that could pave the way for vaccine development.

The AI technology, AlphaFold and ESMFold, was used to discover and classify the entry proteins of all the viruses tested, something which would be impossible to do with traditional methods.

The work demonstrates a ‘super-charging’ of the scientific investigation into viral proteins, uncovering the critically important entry mechanisms which explain how viruses get into the body and replicate in cells.

The research, published in Nature and led by the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) in collaboration with the University of Sydney, uses AI protein structure prediction to examine hundreds of species in the Flaviviridae, a large family of viruses that cause diseases such as Dengue, Zika, and Hepatitis C.

During the pandemic, scientists harnessed existing knowledge of the ‘spike protein’ of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, to quickly develop vaccines. However, for many viruses, including Hepatitis C, the shape and mechanisms of the viral entry proteins are unknown.

The research authors believe the study to be an important step forward for future pandemic preparedness and current viral threats such as Mpox, for which scientists currently know very little about the entry proteins.

Dr Joe Grove, senior lecturer at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: “We are hugely excited by the results this study offers us.

“We are one of the first research groups to apply this AI technology at scale to viruses, and the results have huge implications for understanding how viruses get into our bodies and replicate, something which is critically important for future vaccine development, pandemic preparedness and furthering our knowledge of potential spillover viruses.”

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The potential for AI medical research has become a focal point for scientists recently. Earlier this week, a study from the University of Dundee discovered the potential for AI to transform care for heart failure patients, while another study has shown that AI analytical tools developed by the University of Glasgow are as effective in detecting heart failure as human experts.

Last year, the government announced a nearly £16 million investment into pioneering AI health technology research, awarding nine companies with funding through the AI in Health and Care Awards.