AI May Help Make New Antibiotics from Spider and Snake Venoms

Using an artificial intelligence tool that predicts the antimicrobial capabilities of peptides, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania were able to screen over 40 million peptides from venom—known as venom-encrypted peptides (VEPs)—in just hours. The work, led by César de la Fuente, PhD, a Presidential Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Microbiology, Bioengineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Chemistry, is part of the lab’s increased focus on using AI to combat antimicrobial resistance.