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
New Research Reveals That Your Sense of Smell May Be Smarter Than You Think
A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience indicates that the sense of smell is significantly influenced by cues from other senses, whereas the senses of sight and hearing are much less affected. A popular [...]
Deadly bacteria show thirst for human blood: the phenomenon of bacterial vampirism
Some of the world's deadliest bacteria seek out and feed on human blood, a newly-discovered phenomenon researchers are calling "bacterial vampirism." A team led by Washington State University researchers has found the bacteria are [...]
Organ Architects: The Remarkable Cells Shaping Our Development
Finding your way through the winding streets of certain cities can be a real challenge without a map. To orient ourselves, we rely on a variety of information, including digital maps on our phones, [...]
Novel hydrogel removes microplastics from water
Microplastics pose a great threat to human health. These tiny plastic debris can enter our bodies through the water we drink and increase the risk of illnesses. They are also an environmental hazard; found [...]
Researchers Discover New Origin of Deep Brain Waves
Understanding hippocampal activity could improve sleep and cognition therapies. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine’s biomedical engineering department have discovered a new origin for two essential brain waves—slow waves and sleep spindles—that are critical for [...]
The Lifelong Cost of Surviving COVID: Scientists Uncover Long-Term Effects
Many of the individuals released to long-term acute care facilities suffered from conditions that lasted for over a year. Researchers at UC San Francisco studied COVID-19 patients in the United States who survived some of the longest and [...]
Previously Unknown Rogue Immune Key to Chronic Viral Infections Discovered
Scientists discovered a previously unidentified rogue immune cell linked to poor antibody responses in chronic viral infections. Australian researchers have discovered a previously unknown rogue immune cell that can cause poor antibody responses in [...]
Nature’s Betrayal: Unmasking Lead Lurking in Herbal Medicine
A case of lead poisoning due to Ayurvedic medicine use demonstrates the importance of patient history in diagnosis and the need for public health collaboration to prevent similar risks. An article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association [...]
Frozen in Time: How a DNA Anomaly Misled Scientists for Centuries
An enormous meteor spelled doom for most dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But not all. In the aftermath of the extinction event, birds — technically dinosaurs themselves — flourished. Scientists have spent centuries trying [...]
‘Mini kidneys’ reveal new insights into metabolic defects in polycystic kidney disease
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have successfully grown 'mini kidneys' in the lab and grafted them into live mice, revealing new insights into the metabolic defects and a potential therapy for [...]
Decoding the Origin of Life: Scientists Solve Early Earth RNA Puzzle
Recent research illustrates how RNA molecules’ chemical characteristics might have played a crucial role in the development of complex life forms. How did complex life manage to evolve on the early, inhospitable Earth? Initially, [...]
Improving infectious disease testing with gold nanoparticles
By harnessing the power of composite polymer particles adorned with gold nanoparticles, a group of researchers have delivered a more accurate means of testing for infectious diseases. Details of their research was published in the [...]
New micromaterial releases nanoparticles that selectively destroy cancer cells
Researchers have developed micromaterials made up only of proteins, capable of delivering over an extended period of time nanoparticles that attack specific cancer cells and destroy them. The micromaterials mimic natural secretory granules found [...]
Alzheimer’s Breakthrough: Scientists Make Revolutionary Leap
Dementia is a major health issue worldwide in the 21st century, impacting over 50 million people globally. This figure is expected to soar to 152 million by 2050, as the global population ages. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) [...]
How small RNA molecules regulate viral infections of bacteria
Viruses need hosts. Whether it's measles, the flu or coronavirus, viral pathogens cannot multiply or infect other organisms without the assistance of their hosts' cellular infrastructure. However, humans are not the only ones affected [...]
Computer scientists discover gap in the latest security mechanisms used by some chips
Over the past few years, hardware manufacturers have developed technologies that ought to make it possible for companies and governmental organizations to process sensitive data securely using shared cloud computing resources. Known as confidential [...]