Using artificial intelligence (AI), researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed software to analyse the proteins from any organism significantly faster and more accurately than ever before. The research opens new doors for the field of proteomics, as it can be applied in both basic and clinical research.
The genome contains the blueprint for thousands of proteins which control almost all the functions within the human body. Defective proteins can result in the development of a number of serious diseases and thus effectively targeting them with drugs can be hugely beneficial.
To gain a greater understanding of the processes and diseases which are related to these genomes, it is necessary for as many proteins as possible to be analysed simultaneously. At present, the method used to do this is mass spectrometry, which determines the type and quantity of proteins in a biological system. However, the current methods of data analysis continue to produce many a number of errors, making them unreliable.
The AI software will enable researchers and healthcare professionals to search for biomarkers more easily in the patient’s blood or urine, as well as monitor the effectiveness of treatments. The method can also be used to discover new regulatory mechanisms in cells, which can they be used as targets for treatments.
