Using artificial intelligence, researchers from Cardiff University and Astra Zeneca created microscopic particles that are able to effectively transport medicines to precisely target and treat diseased cells.
The team says that their work could be used to treat genetic diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases in the future. The study was published in Small Methods under the title “Understanding intracellular biology to improve mRNA delivery by lipid nanoparticles.”
“We are constantly looking for new and improved ways of delivering drugs around the human body,” stated Professor Arwyn T. Jones of Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Nanoparticles are small particles that can go about as tiny transports to move and convey restorative atoms—mmeds—aaround the body to arrive at the particular site that needs remedial intercession.
“We are always exploring for new and better ways to deliver medications throughout the human body. Nanoparticles are tiny particles that can operate as microscopic shuttles to carry and deliver therapeutic molecules—medications—around the body to the exact region that requires therapeutic intervention.”
Professor Arwyn T Jones, Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical sciences,
“By taking these medication particles to the right area in the body, the nanoparticles can assist with treating a few distinct sicknesses.”
AI was used in this collaborative study to create a custom nanoparticle that could deliver mRNA, a drug molecule, to cancer cells. The effectiveness of this AI-designed nanoparticle as a delivery shuttle was then demonstrated to be superior to that of other prototypes.
“This exploration showed that AI and man-made consciousness can frame a basic piece of the planning cycle for building more compelling nanotherapeutics.
“The new method, based on computational learning and the subsequent design of a new nanoparticle shuttle, was demonstrated to be effective even though the nanoparticle generated through this study was within a restricted field of biomedical research. This means that this new method could be used to analyze and design thousands of different kinds of nanoparticles, as well as deliver hundreds of different kinds of therapeutic molecules to target a very wide range of diseases, “added Professor Jones.
Although nanoparticles are currently used in medical treatment, it can take years for scientists to produce and test hundreds of different designs of nanoparticles before finding the best one. This new strategy demonstrates the way that artificial intelligence can quickly speed up the improvement of nanoparticles.
“This approach acquires data on how cells and proteins in cells control the presentation of nanoparticles as medication conveyance specialists. It obviously shows that AI can make a critical commitment to productively plan more compelling nanotherapeutics to all the more likely objectively treat illness,” added Teacher Jones.
More information: Morag Rose Hunter et al, Understanding Intracellular Biology to Improve mRNA Delivery by Lipid Nanoparticles, Small Methods (2023). DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202201695
