A NEW AI-based technique developed by Scripps Research scientists has reduced the time required to identify therapeutic antibodies from weeks to less than a day, potentially revolutionising pandemic preparedness. This scalable approach combines artificial intelligence with advanced imaging, allowing faster and more precise discovery of antibody treatments for infectious diseases.
Therapeutic antibodies—naturally occurring proteins harnessed to neutralise pathogens—play a vital role in treating conditions such as influenza, HIV, and other infectious diseases. Traditional antibody discovery is a labour-intensive process, with researchers screening thousands of proteins individually to find those that bind to vulnerable sites on viruses and bacteria. This bottleneck limits the rapid development of therapies, particularly during public health emergencies when time is crucial.
The new method leverages cryo‑electron microscopy to create detailed images of antibodies attached to their targets, and integrates the ModelAngelo AI tool, which builds molecular models and predicts the most protective antibody candidates. Known as Structure‑to‑Sequence (STS), this pipeline analyses structural antibody patterns and matches them to genetic databases efficiently. When tested on animal models infected with influenza, antibodies identified using ModelAngelo provided significant protection against the virus. The method’s speed and precision could be invaluable for responding swiftly to emerging health threats where traditional approaches fall short.
Clinically, these advances enable the rapid identification and development of new antibody drugs suited to each pathogen, improving responses to new outbreaks and pandemics. Further refinement and widespread collaboration promise even greater scalability, supporting ongoing efforts to anticipate and contain infectious disease threats. As the technology evolves, its role in accelerating vaccine development and therapy design is expected to expand, bringing faster solutions to patients worldwide.
Reference
Ferguson JA et al. Functional and epitope specific monoclonal antibody discovery directly from immune sera using cryo-EM. Science Advances. 2025;DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adv8257.
