Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, in partnership with the synthetic DNA company Neochromosome, have unveiled a tool utilising AI to assist with the process of enzyme selection for therapeutic treatments. 

The project was supported by the Glasgow-based Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) and focuses on developing enzymes for Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT), commonly used to treat genetic disorders that lack a cure but can significantly improve patients’ quality of life.

The traditional process of engineering enzymes has been likened by the company as looking for a “needle in a haystack,” with labour-intensive trial-and-error methods.  Whereas the new AI system sifts through millions of potential enzyme combinations to find the best ones. 

“Not only can the AI tool improve the accuracy of the selection of enzymes and the time taken to filter through the options, but it may also boost the effectiveness of treatments for patients and cut down infusion times,” Dr Giovanni Stracquadanio, senior lecturer in synthetic biology and co-director of the Edinburgh Genome Foundry at the University of Edinburgh.

The AI tool demonstrated an 85% accuracy in early tests, and researchers can use the program to create a shortlist of the most promising enzymes. 

“If we can eliminate non-functional combinations before we get into the lab, we can iterate more quickly and discover better enzymes,” said Greg Brittingham, product strategy and development lead at Neochromosome. 

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“By combining this prediction tool with specific hypotheses about how different regions of the protein are involved in function, we can imagine a future where researchers can run tens or hundreds of iterations in the time it takes to run a single standard discovery campaign. 

Already, the collaboration between Neochromosome and the University of Edinburgh has yielded a library of 40 newly engineered enzymes, previously unseen in nature. 

“AI is already being used across a wide range of industries, and could bring significant improvements to biotechnology processes, as this project has shown,” said Dr Liz Fletcher, director of business engagement at IBioIC.

“Exploration of cutting-edge technology and innovation can bring a range of benefits for the life sciences sector, both for the patients who need essential treatment, as well as the scientists developing the solutions.”