HCR 576: AI and the Future of Custom-Made Proteins in Drug Development
HCR 576: AI and the Future of Custom-Made Proteins in Drug Development
Medical science is undergoing a powerful transformation with artificial intelligence (AI) that allows for the design of custom-designed proteins, including constrained peptides, which are highly stable and potent with versatile properties that make them ideal in medical applications (Mak et al., 2024). This method can accelerate and streamline drug discovery, traditionally a slow and expensive process, by exploring enormous chemical spaces to find promising protein structures with desirable properties. For example, peptide design software now enables researchers to design completely new proteins de novo, which could be used as drugs neutralizing viruses or to inhibit the growth of cancer cells (Mak et al., 2024). This combination of AI and protein design is representative of ideas introduced in Chapter 1 of the textbook that focuses on the increasing influence of biotechnology and computational power in contemporary healthcare developments.
Even though the amount of potential interest in AI-driven custom protein development is astronomical, ethical aspects are paramount. The case study presented in chapter 2 of the textbook identifies the value of striking a balance between innovation, public trust, and safety, especially when emerging technologies have an impact on human health (Bahl, n.d.). The potential safety issues, undesirable side effects, and ethical considerations regarding affordable access to such proteins became a concern when using AI to design proteins. For instance, constrained peptides may be durable enough to be taken as pills, making them more accessible than injectable biologics. Nevertheless, when the companies that produce medications are profit-driven, patients who live in low-income areas will not receive the same benefits as patients in other locations (Bahl, n.d.). Also, the use of algorithms brings up transparency and responsibility challenges; what happens when a protein created by an AI causes unanticipated harm? These ethical issues have to be monitored well, and good regulatory measures put in place to make AI in drug development a responsible process.
I believe that AI should be used in the area of custom protein design, but only under strict ethical regulations. The increased speed and accuracy of AI development can mean decreased time and cost of creating life-saving treatments, which matches the science in the textbook, being seen as a method of enhancing the well-being of the population. However, the same technology should merely supplement rather than substitute human knowledge in medicine (Patel & Shah, 2021). By combining the processing speed of AI and the judgment of humans, researchers may develop safer, more efficient biologics to address critical health issues. I am in favor of what AI can contribute to the field of custom protein design, as long as ethical rules, transparent testing, and suitable accessibility are placed at the forefront of their application.
References
Bahl, C. (n.d.). A new type of medicine, custom-made with tiny proteins [Video]. TED Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_bahl_a_new_type_of_medicine_custom_made_with_tiny_proteins
Mak, K. K., Wong, Y. H., & Pichika, M. R. (2024). Artificial intelligence in drug discovery and development. Drug discovery and evaluation: safety and pharmacokinetic assays, 1461-1498.
Patel, V., & Shah, M. (2021). Artificial intelligence and machine learning in drug discovery and development. Intelligent Medicine, 2(3), 134–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imed.2021.10.001
HCR 576: AI and the Future of Custom-Made Proteins in Drug Development
