Computational Frontiers in Antimicrobial Peptide Discovery: AI-Driven Solutions for the Poultry Industry
Dr.İnanç Birol
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Abstract: The convergence of genomics and artificial intelligence is revolutionizing antimicrobial peptide (AMP) discovery, with particularly promising applications in the poultry industry. As conventional antibiotics face a dual crisis – with drugs critical for human health banned in agriculture and remaining options increasingly compromised by antimicrobial resistance – the sector urgently needs alternative solutions. AMPs, nature’s evolutionary response to pathogens, offer a compelling alternative with over 5,000 known sequences identified across diverse organisms.
Our research leverages advanced machine learning techniques to transform AMP discovery and development for poultry applications. By mining vast nucleotide and protein databases and analyzing over 200 million sequences, we have identified more than 10,000 novel putative AMPs. Through rigorous in vitro screening against common poultry pathogens including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, we have prioritized over 300 highly bioactive candidates. Further refinement has yielded five lead compounds that were characterized for their safety and efficacy in both controlled laboratory settings and commercial production environments. The computational approaches we have developed dramatically accelerate the discovery pipeline – reducing what would traditionally require several decades of laboratory work to a matter of a few years. Our AI models can predict antimicrobial activity, optimize peptide structures for stability, and minimize potential toxicity concerns, all while maintaining effectiveness against target pathogens.The poultry industry presents unique advantages for AMP deployment. Broiler chickens, with their abbreviated lifespans of just 35-42 days, provide an ideal application environment. Ideally, a single in ovo injection prior to hatching would provide critical protection during the first week of life when chicks are most vulnerable due to their developing immune systems. This one-time application effectively sidesteps traditional concerns about AMP stability and long-term toxicity that have challenged therapeutic development in other contexts.
This presentation will demonstrate how our AI-powered platforms analyze genomic data, design synthetic variants, and optimize peptide properties specifically for poultry applications – showcasing how computer science is providing practical solutions to one of animal agriculture’s most pressing challenges while simultaneously preserving critical antibiotics for human medicine.
Bio: Dr. Inanc Birol is a distinguished scientist at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, a professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Department of Medical Genetics, an associate member of the Departments of Computer Science, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC, and an adjunct scientist at BC Centre for Disease Control. Previously, he held research faculty and associate positions at Simon Fraser University, Illinois Institute of Technology and CERN – the latter, a knowledge centre for understanding the universe and home to the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. To date, Dr. Birol’s team has accelerated research with over 140 publications, which have practical applications in both ecosystems and human biology, including medical genomics. As of 2018, he is listed among the top 1% cited scientists in the world by Clarivate Analytics in the Cross-Field category. Dr. Birol’s research interests include the analysis of data from modern sequencing instruments to study genomes and transcriptomes of model species and humans. He directs the Bioinformatics Technology Lab, which develops bioinformatics tools for de novo sequence assembly, sequence mapping, downstream data analysis and visualization. He also directs a wet lab at BC Centre for Disease Control to study antimicrobial resistance and to develop novel strategies as alternatives to conventional antibiotics.
DATE: May 2, Friday @ 10:30 Place: EA 409