{"id":32602,"date":"2026-05-23T09:31:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T13:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/?p=32602"},"modified":"2026-05-23T09:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T13:31:07","slug":"using-synthetic-biology-and-ai-to-address-global-antimicrobial-resistance-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/using-synthetic-biology-and-ai-to-address-global-antimicrobial-resistance-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"Using synthetic biology and AI to address global antimicrobial resistance threat"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span><p>James J. Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science at MIT and faculty co-lead of the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health, is embarking on a multidisciplinary research project that applies synthetic biology and generative artificial intelligence to the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).<\/p>\n<p>The research project is sponsored by Jameel Research, part of the Abdul Latif Jameel International network. The initial three-year, $3 million research project in MIT\u2019s Department of Biological Engineering and Institute of Medical Engineering and Science focuses on developing and validating programmable antibacterials against key pathogens.<\/p>\n<p>AMR \u2014 driven by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics \u2014 has accelerated the rise of drug-resistant infections, while the development of new antibacterial tools has slowed. The impact is felt worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where limited diagnostic infrastructure causes delays or ineffective treatment.<\/p>\n<p>The project centers on developing a new generation of targeted antibacterials using AI to design small proteins to disable specific bacterial functions. These designer molecules would be produced and delivered by engineered microbes, providing a more precise and adaptable approach than traditional antibiotics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis project reflects my belief that tackling AMR requires both bold scientific ideas and a pathway to real-world impact,\u201d Collins says. \u201cJameel Research is keen to address this crisis by supporting innovative, translatable research at MIT.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel \u201978, chair of Abdul Latif Jameel, says, \u201cantimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent challenges we face today, and addressing it will require ambitious science and sustained collaboration. We are pleased to support this new research, building on our long-standing relationship with MIT and our commitment to advancing research across the world, to strengthen global health and contribute to a more resilient future.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span>James J. Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science at MIT and faculty co-lead of the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health, is embarking on a multidisciplinary research project that applies synthetic biology and generative artificial intelligence to the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The research project is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-digest"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32602"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33781,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32602\/revisions\/33781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}