Cancer patients are testing a medicine made of antibodies that were designed from scratch on a computer in Israel and whose inventor has “programmed” them to “decide” whether cells surrounding tumors are bad or good.
If the trial, which is underway in Australia, goes according to plan, these antibodies will fight cells that help the tumor while boosting the abilities of cells that inhibit cancer growth.
Their inventor, Prof. Yanay Ofran, said that until now, antibody treatments have been based on human or animal antibodies. They are then developed in labs and mass produced, but the final product retains limitations from the original antibodies.
“Antibodies are very successful, but the way they are used in medicine today utilizes only a fraction of their capability,” he told The Times of Israel. “Our mission is to take antibodies and seize on the fact they are safe, stable, easy to use and can stay on the shelf for years, to unlock their full ability.”
Ofran, a Bar Ilan University professor, has published numerous peer-reviewed studies on his method of designing antibodies on a computer. They emphasize the “smart” quality of the new antibodies.
This means that instead of carrying out a single function, like fighting a single virus, they can survey their surroundings and act in different ways when faced with different types of cells. Ofran refers to them as “nano-robots.”
The new AU-007 antibody treatment is the first computer-designed antibody to enter a human trial, he said. It was designed by artificial intelligence software at the Rehovot offices of his startup Biolojic Design, and is being trialed by its spin-out company Aulos Bioscience. Biolojic is now working on several other treatments.
Ofran’s breakthrough results from a laborious research process, which involves creating many millions of antibodies and monitoring their behavior in the lab.
His team’s artificial intelligence software analyzes the data on how the antibodies behave. “We learn from the observations we collect how to create a new antibody that will do exactly what we want it to do,” said Ofran.
AU-007 uses antibodies that can “feel” or “sense“ their surroundings and differentiate between cells that are likely to help or hinder a tumor based on features on the cell’s exterior such as cilia, which are protruding antenna-like structures.
“What we’re doing is to use the antibody to identify the cells they meet, and activate cells that can attack the tumor while stopping cells that help the tumor,” Ofran explained.
Ofran is a descendent of one of Israel’s best-known scientists. His grandfather Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz, while most remembered for his religious and political writing, was a professor of organic chemistry and neurology, and a leader in those fields during Israel’s early decades.
Ofran hopes that his work will change scientists’ understanding of the potential of antibodies. Today they are generally deployed to perform a single task — for example, to neutralize coronavirus. As he puts it, they are “one-trick ponies.”
Designing antibodies by computer opens up the possibility of making them multi-function, as illustrated by AU-007’s ability to boost cancer-fighting cells but do the opposite with cells that help cancer.
“Instead of just seeking out one environment and reacting always with the same response, we’re producing antibodies that can act conditionally, meaning if the cells appear one way they do ‘x,’ and if they look another way they do ‘y,’” Ofran said.
“This opens up the door to smarter therapeutics that can execute sophisticated plans to cure disease.”

News
Does Space-Time Really Exist?
Is time something that flows — or just an illusion? Exploring space-time as either a fixed “block universe” or a dynamic fabric reveals deeper mysteries about existence, change, and the very nature of reality. [...]
Unlocking hidden soil microbes for new antibiotics
Most bacteria cannot be cultured in the lab-and that's been bad news for medicine. Many of our frontline antibiotics originated from microbes, yet as antibiotic resistance spreads and drug pipelines run dry, the soil [...]
By working together, cells can extend their senses beyond their direct environment
The story of the princess and the pea evokes an image of a highly sensitive young royal woman so refined, she can sense a pea under a stack of mattresses. When it comes to [...]
Overworked Brain Cells May Hold the Key to Parkinson’s
Scientists at Gladstone Institutes uncovered a surprising reason why dopamine-producing neurons, crucial for smooth body movements, die in Parkinson’s disease. In mice, when these neurons were kept overactive for weeks, they began to falter, [...]
Old tires find new life: Rubber particles strengthen superhydrophobic coatings against corrosion
Development of highly robust superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating using recycled tire rubber particles. Superhydrophobic materials offer a strategy for developing marine anti-corrosion materials due to their low solid-liquid contact area and low surface energy. However, [...]
This implant could soon allow you to read minds
Mind reading: Long a science fiction fantasy, today an increasingly concrete scientific goal. Researchers at Stanford University have succeeded in decoding internal language in real time thanks to a brain implant and artificial intelligence. [...]
A New Weapon Against Cancer: Cold Plasma Destroys Hidden Tumor Cells
Cold plasma penetrates deep into tumors and attacks cancer cells. Short-lived molecules were identified as key drivers. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), working with colleagues from Greifswald University Hospital and [...]
This Common Sleep Aid May Also Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer’s
Lemborexant and similar sleep medications show potential for treating tau-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that a commonly used sleep medication can restore normal sleep patterns and [...]
Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Boost Cancer Drug Efficacy
A team of researchers at the University of Mississippi has discovered that coating cancer treatment carrying nanoparticles in a sugar-like material increases their treatment efficacy. They reported their findings in Advanced Healthcare Materials. Over a tenth of breast [...]
Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Shows Promise in Fighting Cancer
In a study published in OncoImmunology, researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University have created a therapeutic vaccine that mobilizes the immune system to target cancer cells. The researchers demonstrated that virus peptides combined [...]
Quantitative imaging method reveals how cells rapidly sort and transport lipids
Lipids are difficult to detect with light microscopy. Using a new chemical labeling strategy, a Dresden-based team led by André Nadler at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and [...]
Ancient DNA reveals cause of world’s first recorded pandemic
Scientists have confirmed that the Justinian Plague, the world’s first recorded pandemic, was caused by Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium behind the Black Death. Dating back some 1,500 years and long described in historical texts but [...]
“AI Is Not Intelligent at All” – Expert Warns of Worldwide Threat to Human Dignity
Opaque AI systems risk undermining human rights and dignity. Global cooperation is needed to ensure protection. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed how people interact, but it also poses a global risk to human [...]
Nanomotors: Where Are They Now?
First introduced in 2004, nanomotors have steadily advanced from a scientific curiosity to a practical technology with wide-ranging applications. This article explores the key developments, recent innovations, and major uses of nanomotors today. A [...]
Study Finds 95% of Tested Beers Contain Toxic “Forever Chemicals”
Researchers found PFAS in 95% of tested beers, with the highest levels linked to contaminated local water sources. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as forever chemicals, are gaining notoriety for their ability [...]
Long COVID Symptoms Are Closer To A Stroke Or Parkinson’s Disease Than Fatigue
When most people get sick with COVID-19 today, they think of it as a brief illness, similar to a cold. However, for a large number of people, the illness doesn't end there. The World [...]