How we’re using AI to discover new antibiotics | Jim Collins | TED Talk

In the TED Talk “How we’re using AI to discover new antibiotics,” Bioengineer Jim Collins describes how his lab is using artificial intelligence and synthetic biology to develop new antibiotics and antivirals to fight against the novel coronavirus and antibiotic resistance crisis. We learn how machine learning has helped his team to explore the space of all possible molecules that could be synthesized, allowing them to discover new antibiotics and apply the same approach to search for antiviral compounds. Collins’ team is also using synthetic biology to develop a protective mask that can detect the virus, and a candidate vaccine for COVID-19.