Surrey builds AI to search out anti-ageing chemical compounds

The University of Surrey has constructed a man-made intelligence (AI) mannequin that identifies chemical compounds that promote wholesome growing old—paving the best way in the direction of pharmaceutical improvements that reach an individual’s lifespan.

In a paper printed by Scientific Reports, a staff of chemists from Surrey constructed a machine studying mannequin primarily based on the knowledge from the DrugAge database to foretell whether or not a compound can lengthen the lifetime of Caenorhabditis elegans—a translucent worm that shares an identical metabolism to people. The worm’s shorter lifespan gave the researchers the chance to see the influence of the chemical compounds.

The AI singled out three compounds which have an 80 p.c likelihood of accelerating the lifespan of elegans:

• flavonoids (anti-oxidant pigments present in crops that promote cardiovascular well being),
• fatty acids (akin to omega 3), and
• Organooxygens (compounds that include carbon to oxygen bonds, akin to alcohol).

Sofia Kapsiani, co-author of the research and last yr undergraduate pupil on the University of Surrey, mentioned:

“Aging is increasingly being recognized as a set of diseases in modern medicine, and we can apply the tools of the digital world, such as AI, to help slow down or protect against aging and age-related diseases. Our study demonstrates the revolutionary ability of AI to aid the identification of compounds with anti-aging properties.”

Dr. Brendan Howlin, lead writer of the research and Senior Lecturer in Computational Chemistry on the University of Surrey, mentioned:

“This research shows the power and potential of AI, which is a speciality of the University of Surrey, to drive significant benefits in human health.”