The worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be in the past, but it showed just how badly a fast-spreading infectious disease could affect the world. Most countries were woefully unprepared to deal with a medical event of that magnitude, and for the most part, the world still isn’t equipped to deal with such a pandemic.
Millions of lives were lost worldwide during the pandemic, and to this day thousands of people across the world are still dealing with long Covid symptoms. Researchers recently discussed the possibility of using machine learning and artificial intelligence to prevent future disease outbreaks and pandemics.
Published in the “Science” journal, the review covered the challenges involved in predicting and preventing infectious disease outbreaks and the future role that artificial intelligence could play. The study noted that infectious diseases still present a global challenge that our advancements in pharmaceuticals, molecular genetics and computing power haven’t been able to address.
Infectious diseases such as ebola, Zika, Marburg virus and H5N1 influenza have the potential to cripple the global economy and, even more significantly, take countless lives if they get out of hand. Furthermore, dangerous pathogens such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) present a constant risk of widespread disease outbreaks.
As the world becomes even more interconnected, it is crucial that we develop ways of preventing infectious disease outbreaks before they spread across borders and cause immense stress on already-stretched healthcare systems. Leveraging increasingly advancing software could give us the tools we need to detect infectious diseases as early as possible and deploy preventative and treatment options before they proliferate.
Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) present the most attractive options as they allow for the study and analysis of gargantuan data sets. ML is already being used to train computers to make more accurate predictions and has aided in searches of small-molecule databases.
Using tools such as machine learning makes it possible for scientists and physicians to examine genetic information in the greatest detail to predict antigens and discover crucial molecular structures that control immune responses and interactions between pathogens and hosts.
Aside from their predictive features, AI and ML can also help in the development of infectious disease treatments. For instance, systems such as NVIDIA’s BioNeMo and GPT-4 can aid in our understanding of fundamental chemical and biological dynamics by combining various scientific data streams.
Although AI and ML are still relatively new fields, they have already played a major role in modernizing medicine and improving treatment outcomes. The technology will most likely be as useful in developing preventative and treatment strategies for infectious diseases.
In the meantime, companies such as BiondVax Therapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ: BVXV) are working to bring to market immunotherapies targeting infectious diseases so that their outbreaks affect as few people as possible.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: BVXV) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/BVXV
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