Two projects at the University of California in Davis who use artificial intelligence to design and engineer proteins for industrial and health applications were funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF).
Subsidies are part of an investment of $ 32 million in AI and protein engineering announced on August 7 by the Directorate of Technology, Innovation and NSF partnerships (TIP NSF). The two teams are affiliated with the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health in collaboration with industry partners. Total UC Davis funding will be around $ 1 million over three years.
The two subsidies are among the five announced by NSF which aim to accelerate the translation of AI -based approaches for protein design and to allow new important applications for the American bioeconomy in the context of the acceleration inspired by the use of NSF of the protein design (NSF USPRD).
“These efforts aim to unlock new uses for this technology in bioprom and advanced materials and other essential industries. In simple terms, NSF USPRD represents a strategic investment in the maintenance of American leadership in biotechnology at a time of intense global competition, “said Erwin Gianchandani, Deputy Director of the NSF for TIP, TIP, in a press release.
AI technology has recently made rapid progress in the forecast of 3D protein structures and the use of this knowledge to design new proteins with specific and desirable characteristics. The NSF investment seeks to rely on this foundation by bringing together experts on a national scale, by extending these advances to the design of enzymes and by accelerating the translation of this work in generalized applications of the real world.
Enzymes for acrylates
Acrylates are expensive molecules used in paintings, plexiglass and super-absorbent materials. This project in collaboration with Arzeda, a biotechnology company based in Seattle, aims to transform the production of acrylates by engineering of new enzymes for rapid, affordable and evolving production.
This project has the potential to accelerate the marketing of advanced protein engineering, to stimulate innovation and growth in American bioeconomics, with advantages for industries and consumers. The activities of the UC Davis will be led by the director of the Ashley Vater (Genome Center) program with Professor Justin Siegel (departments of chemistry and biochemistry and molecular medicine, and director of the teaching room of IIFH).
Completing the research objectives inspired by the use of the project, UC Davis will make the iron of the expansion of Data designA training program for protein design students, bringing this project to the hands of thousands of students on a national scale.
“Each student in organic sciences should have the possibility of exploring the design of proteins – it is a rapidly evolving area with a substantial place for growth. The most effective point of entry is a practical research project; this motivates our efforts,” said Vater.
Reproduce breast milk
Breast milk contains complex sugars (oligosaccharides of breast milk, or HMO) which are essential for the health and development of infants but difficult to produce. In collaboration with nonozymes based in Davis, this project will use advanced enzymatic engineering, automatic learning and cell synthesis to develop and optimize tools to synthesize these oligosaccharides. This work aims to overcome the challenges in the production of infant formulas and supports the development of new enzymatic systems with commercial properties for broader applications in human health and nutrition.
Siegel will direct the UC Davis part of the three -year project.
