Project description:Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) plays a pivotal role in preventing autoimmunity and fostering anticancer immunity by interacting with B7 proteins CD80 and CD86. CTLA-4 is the first immune checkpoint targeted with a monoclonal antibody inhibitor. Checkpoint inhibitors have generated durable responses in many cancer patients, representing a revolutionary milestone in cancer immunotherapy. However, therapeutic efficacy is limited to a small portion of patients, and immune-related adverse events are noteworthy, especially for monoclonal antibodies directed against CTLA-4. Previously, small molecules have been developed to impair the CTLA-4: CD80 interaction; however, they directly targeted CD80 and not CTLA-4. In this study, we performed artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual screening of approximately ten million compounds to target CTLA-4. We validated primary hits with biochemical, biophysical, immunological, and experimental animal assays. We then optimized lead compounds and obtained inhibitors with an inhibitory concentration of 1 micromole in disrupting the interaction between CTLA-4 and CD80. Unlike ipilimumab, these small molecules did not degrade CTLA-4. Several compounds inhibited tumor development prophylactically and therapeutically in syngeneic and CTLA-4-humanized mice. This project supports an AI-based framework in designing small molecules targeting immune checkpoints for cancer therapy.
Project description:Computational docking is an instrumental method of the structural biology toolbox. Specifically, integrative modeling software, such as LightDock, arise as complementary and synergetic methods to experimental structural biology techniques. Ubiquitousness and accessibility are fundamental features to promote ease of use and to improve user experience. With this goal in mind, we have developed the LightDock Server, a web server for the integrative modeling of macromolecular interactions, along with several dedicated usage modes. The server builds upon the LightDock macromolecular docking framework, which has proved useful for modeling medium-to-high flexible complexes, antibody-antigen interactions, or membrane-associated protein assemblies. We believe that this free-to-use resource will be a valuable addition to the structural biology community and can be accessed online at: https://server.lightdock.org/.
Project description:We introduce HARMONI, a three-dimensional (3D) computer vision and audio processing method for analyzing caregiver-child behavior and interaction from observational videos. HARMONI operates at subsecond resolution, estimating 3D mesh representations and spatial interactions of humans, and adapts to challenging natural environments using an environment-targeted synthetic data generation module. Deployed on 500 hours from the SEEDLingS dataset, HARMONI generates detailed quantitative measurements of 3D human behavior previously unattainable through manual efforts or 2D methods. HARMONI identifies longitudinal trends in child-caregiver interaction, including child movement, body pose, dyadic touch, visibility, and conversational turns. The integrated visual and audio analysis further reveals multimodal trends, including associations between child conversational turns and movement. Open-sourced for large-scale analysis, HARMONI facilitates advancements in human development research. HARMONI achieves 63 to 80% consistency on key attributes with human annotators on SEEDLingS and 84 to 93% consistency on videos taken from a laboratory setting while achieving >100 times savings in time.
Project description:AI has, to varying degrees, affected all aspects of molecular imaging, from image acquisition to diagnosis. During the last decade, the advent of deep learning in particular has transformed medical image analysis. Although the majority of recent advances have resulted from neural-network models applied to image segmentation, a broad range of techniques has shown promise for image reconstruction, image synthesis, differential-diagnosis generation, and treatment guidance. Applications of AI for drug design indicate the way forward for using AI to facilitate molecular-probe design, which is still in its early stages. Deep-learning models have demonstrated increased efficiency and image quality for PET reconstruction from sinogram data. Generative adversarial networks (GANs), which are paired neural networks that are jointly trained to generate and classify images, have found applications in modality transformation, artifact reduction, and synthetic-PET-image generation. Some AI applications, based either partly or completely on neural-network approaches, have demonstrated superior differential-diagnosis generation relative to radiologists. However, AI models have a history of brittleness, and physicians and patients may not trust AI applications that cannot explain their reasoning. To date, the majority of molecular-imaging applications of AI have been confined to research projects, and are only beginning to find their ways into routine clinical workflows via commercialization and, in some cases, integration into scanner hardware. Evaluation of actual clinical products will yield more realistic assessments of AI's utility in molecular imaging.
Project description:In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) or the study of how computers and machines can gain intelligence, has been increasingly applied to problems in medical imaging, and in particular to molecular imaging of the central nervous system. Many AI innovations in medical imaging include improving image quality, segmentation, and automating classification of disease. These advances have led to an increased availability of supportive AI tools to assist physicians in interpreting images and making decisions affecting patient care. This review focuses on the role of AI in molecular neuroimaging, primarily applied to positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). We emphasize technical innovations such as AI in computed tomography (CT) generation for the purposes of attenuation correction and disease localization, as well as applications in neuro-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. Limitations and future prospects for AI in molecular brain imaging are also discussed. Just as new equipment such as SPECT and PET revolutionized the field of medical imaging a few decades ago, AI and its related technologies are now poised to bring on further disruptive changes. An understanding of these new technologies and how they work will help physicians adapt their practices and succeed with these new tools.
Project description:Background/objectivesCheckpoint inhibitors, which generate durable responses in many cancer patients, have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy. However, their therapeutic efficacy is limited, and immune-related adverse events are severe, especially for monoclonal antibody treatment directed against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), which plays a pivotal role in preventing autoimmunity and fostering anticancer immunity by interacting with the B7 proteins CD80 and CD86. Small molecules impairing the CTLA-4/CD80 interaction have been developed; however, they directly target CD80, not CTLA-4.Subjects/methodsIn this study, we performed artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual screening of approximately ten million compounds to identify those targeting CTLA-4. We validated the hits molecules with biochemical, biophysical, immunological, and experimental animal assays.ResultsThe primary hits obtained from the virtual screening were successfully validated in vitro and in vivo. We then optimized lead compounds and obtained inhibitors (inhibitory concentration, 1 micromole) that disrupted the CTLA-4/CD80 interaction without degrading CTLA-4.ConclusionsSeveral compounds inhibited tumor development prophylactically and therapeutically in syngeneic and CTLA-4-humanized mice. Our findings support using AI-based frameworks to design small molecules targeting immune checkpoints for cancer therapy.
Project description:Background and aimsColorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, with colonoscopy being the preferred screening method. Up to 25% of colonoscopies are associated with poor preparation which leads to prolonged procedure time, repeat colonoscopies, and decreased adenoma detection. Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly used in medicine, assessing medical school exam questions, and writing medical reports. Its use in gastroenterology has been used to educate patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, answer patient questions about colonoscopy and provide correct colonoscopy screening intervals, having the ability to augment the patient-provider relationship. This study aims at assessing the accuracy of a ChatGPT-generated precolonoscopy bowel preparation prompt.MethodsA nonrandomized cross-sectional study assessing the perceptions of an AI-generated colonoscopy preparation prompt was conducted in a large multisite quaternary health-care institution in the northeast United States. All practicing gastroenterologists in the health system were surveyed, with 208 having a valid email address and were included in the study. A Research Electronic Data Capture survey was then distributed to all participants and analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsOverall, 91% of gastroenterologist physicians determined the prompt easy to understand, 95% thought the prompt was scientifically accurate and 66% were comfortable giving the prompt to their patients. Sixty four percent of reviewers correctly identified the ChatGPT-generated prompt, but only 32% were confident in their answer.ConclusionThe ability of ChatGPT to create a sufficient bowel preparation prompt highlights how physicians can incorporate AI into clinical practice to improve ease and efficiency of communication with patients when it comes to bowel preparation.