AlphaFold: Researchers have found hundreds of thousands of new psychedelics that may be the key to treating depression
AI could be a key tool in the development of antidepressants.
Researchers discovered hundreds of thousands of potential new psychedelic molecules using the protein structure prediction tool AlphaFold, developed by DeepMind in London. This discovery may contribute to the development of new antidepressants. Already hailed as a breakthrough in biology, AlphaFold provides the structures of nearly every known protein, which could speed up drug discovery and improvement.
Despite initial skepticism about AlphaFold’s effectiveness in drug discovery, recent research suggests its predictions can be as useful as experimentally derived protein structures. This is especially important given that experimental determination of protein structure can take months or even years.
Researchers Brian Shoichet and Brian Roth tested the structures of two proteins associated with neuropsychiatric conditions using both experimental methods and AlphaFold predictions. They found that the predicted structures helped identify new drug compounds that activate the serotonin receptor, which could be useful in the development of antidepressants.
Although predicted structures cannot always replace detailed experimental models, they offer significant benefits in accelerating the drug discovery process. Isomorphic Labs, a subsidiary of DeepMind, is actively using AlphaFold in its drug discovery research.
These findings highlight AlphaFold’s potential to improve the drug discovery process, although they highlight that the tool is not a one-size-fits-all solution and does not completely replace experimental methods. The importance of finding a balance between the use of predicted and experimental structures remains key in the field of pharmaceutical research.
2024-01-20 11:36:43
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