Wyss InstituteComputational Design & Discovery – Wyss Institute https://wyss.stage.a17.io Wyss Institute at Harvard Thu, 30 Jul 2026 21:38:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.6 From Data to Drugs: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/from-data-to-drugs-the-role-of-artificial-intelligence-in-drug-discovery/ Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:00:56 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=41791 Code to Cure is a newsletter co-hosted by the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and Milad Alucozai on the intersection of AI, biology, and healthcare transforming medicine. By Milad Alucozai, Will Fondrie, and Megan Sperry Traditional drug discovery is slow, expensive, and prone to high clinical failure rates due to poor safety profiles, lack of efficacy, or both. Developing a new drug…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/from-data-to-drugs-the-role-of-artificial-intelligence-in-drug-discovery/ This issue was written by (left to right) Milad Alucozai, MSc, MPH, DrPH., Will Fondrie, Ph.D., and Megan Sperry, Ph.D. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2025/01/07123219/CodetoCureFeatureImage_Post2.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=269de44f3a4bdc9b420dff7d6aad3d0b"/> From Bits to Biology: A New Era of Biological Renaissance powered by AI https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/from-bits-to-biology-a-new-era-of-biological-renaissance-powered-by-ai/ Tue, 08 Oct 2024 13:00:59 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=41126 Code to Cure is a newsletter co-hosted by the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and Milad Alucozai on the intersection of AI, biology, and healthcare transforming medicine. By Milad Alucozai Imagine a world where algorithms predict the next pandemic before it strikes, where you receive custom-designed treatments tailored to your individual genetic makeup, lifestyle, and medical history…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/from-bits-to-biology-a-new-era-of-biological-renaissance-powered-by-ai/ Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2024/10/04122411/OctoberC2CListingImage.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=814404767506edc0e3a195858b97e0cd"/> Wyss Institute and Dr. Milad Alucozai Launch “Code to Cure” Newsletter https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/wyss-institute-and-dr-milad-alucozai-launch-code-to-cure-newsletter/ Tue, 17 Sep 2024 20:30:32 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=41000 (BOSTON) – The Wyss Institute at Harvard University, along with Milad Alucozai, MSc, MPH, DrPH, is excited to announce the launch of the “Code to Cure” newsletter. Co-hosted by Alucozai and the Wyss Institute, this series will explore the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), biology, and healthcare, highlighting the technologies and innovations shaping the future of human and planetary…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/wyss-institute-and-dr-milad-alucozai-launch-code-to-cure-newsletter/ https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2024/09/13090041/Code2CureFeatureImage.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=04ed6fdf906aa637b33a7293cf30a0fe"/> Not all statins are created equal https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/not-all-statins-are-created-equal/ Tue, 09 May 2023 14:58:02 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=36727 Computational tools, medical record analysis, and in vitro experiments reveal that statin drugs differ in their ability to increase survival of COVID-19 patients By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) — We’ve all recently gotten a crash-course in drug repurposing, thanks to near-daily news reports about efforts to identify existing medicines that could help treat COVID-19 in the early phase of the pandemic. A team of scientists at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University jumped into the fray in the spring of 2020, applying novel computational drug repurposing…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/not-all-statins-are-created-equal/ Statins are drugs that are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol, but a new Wyss study reveals that different statin drugs exert different effects on patients. Credit: Shutterstock https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2023/05/08125406/A-generic-pack-of-the-controversial-cholesterol-preventative-drug-Statin-shutterstock_199332014.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=fa0ff56b2f676de1ec5766138ddc8851"/> Giving old drugs new life…to save lives https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/giving-old-drugs-new-life-to-save-lives/ Thu, 24 Feb 2022 15:00:32 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=31525 Repurposing existing drugs by finding new targets, delivery methods, and formulations is a promising approach to speed the development of much-needed treatments By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) – Along with “SARS-CoV-2” and “cytokine storm,” the COVID-19 pandemic has added an alphabet soup of strange drug names to the public lexicon: hydroxychloroquine, tocilizumab, ivermectin, atovaquone. Though many of us were hearing those names (and struggling to spell them) for the first time, all of these drugs have been around for decades. It was our global…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/giving-old-drugs-new-life-to-save-lives/ Teams of scientists across the Wyss Institute are investigating promising existing drugs that could be repurposed to treat a variety of diseases, speeding up the pace of clinical development. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2022/02/01125633/Organ-Chip-Team_Haiqing-Bai-microscope.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=c899b86d151276de20c58d7e01b33551"/> Identifying “ugly ducklings” to catch skin cancer earlier https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/identifying-ugly-ducklings-to-catch-skin-cancer-earlier/ Wed, 17 Feb 2021 18:56:19 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=27472 Deep learning-based system enables dermatologist-level identification of suspicious skin lesions from smartphone photos, allowing better screening By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) — Melanoma is by far the deadliest form of skin cancer, killing more than 7,000 people in the United States in 2019 alone. Early detection of the disease dramatically reduces the risk of death and the costs of treatment, but widespread melanoma screening is not currently feasible. There are about 12,000 practicing dermatologists in the US, and they would each need to…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/identifying-ugly-ducklings-to-catch-skin-cancer-earlier/ This tool allows non-specialists like primary care providers to easily identify "ugly duckling" lesions from among normal moles and skin features on patients, allowing melanoma and other skin cancers to be found and treated earlier. Credit: Luis Soenksen https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2021/02/16095626/Suspicious-Pigmented-Skin-Lesions_Ugly-Duckling-Tattoo-Forearm.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=11a53426784bdf73f8ca667df04b8838"/> Machine-learning how to create better AAV gene delivery vehicles https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/machine-learning-how-to-create-better-aav-gene-delivery-vehicles/ Thu, 11 Feb 2021 15:58:40 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=27397 Machine learning study initiated at the Wyss Institute in collaboration with Google Research enables unprecedented AAV capsid diversification with potential for improving gene therapies By Benjamin Boettner (BOSTON) — Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have become promising vehicles for delivering gene therapies to defective tissues in the human body because they are non-pathogenic and can transfer therapeutic DNA into target cells. However, while the first gene therapy products approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) use AAV vectors and others are likely to follow…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/machine-learning-how-to-create-better-aav-gene-delivery-vehicles/ In their machine learning-based capsid diversification strategy, the team focused on a 28 amino acid peptide within a segment of the AAV2 VP3 capsid protein that exposes the AAV capsid to neutralizing antibodies produced by individuals and thus can be the cause of an immune response against the virus. More purple colored portions of this peptide are buried deeper in the capsid, while yellow parts are exposed on the virus’ surface. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University (original by Drew Bryant) https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2021/02/09122903/HQ_AAV_composite.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=0cfac7c74247ea5d99e8e052243dd543"/> Getting under the skin of psoriasis https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/getting-under-the-skin-of-psoriasis/ Wed, 22 Jul 2020 17:55:05 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=25418 Ionic-liquid-based technology delivers RNA therapeutic to locally block psoriasis-associated genes in mice By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) — Psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that causes itchy, red, scaly patches, afflicts more than 8 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide. Small molecule-based drugs like steroids can penetrate the skin to treat the condition, but they can cause skin irritation and thinning and their efficacy can decrease over time. Antibodies that target specific…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/getting-under-the-skin-of-psoriasis/ Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the different ion species within the CAGE+CAPA ionic liquid (red, blue, purple) strongly interacted with the atoms of siRNA (white), helping it retain its structure. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2020/07/22122619/IL-siRNA-Molecular-Dynamic-Simulation-wide.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=9bacd082bfc762cd126447613966c5b0"/> Biostasis Project Advances to Next Phase of Development https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/biostasis-project-advances-to-next-phase-of-development/ Thu, 09 Jul 2020 15:00:35 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=25183 Ambitious project aimed at stopping biological time advances science ahead of schedule By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) — The Wyss Institute’s Biostasis project, which began just eighteen months ago as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Biostasis program, has successfully completed its project Phase 1 goals and moved into Phase 2 this month, on schedule despite the disruption of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This ambitious project aims to identify…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/biostasis-project-advances-to-next-phase-of-development/ Candidate biostasis-inducing compounds are tested on tadpoles in the lab, and some have shown an ability to put the animals into a state of torpor. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2020/07/09103812/CogniXense-Feb-2020-9074.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=548f5b71408575c8c186310d9d1321a8"/> Repurposing approved drugs for COVID-19 at an accelerated pace https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/repurposing-approved-drugs-for-covid-19-at-an-accelerated-pace/ Tue, 16 Jun 2020 09:55:10 +0000 https://wyss.harvard.edu/?p=25032 Multi-center collaboration aims to rapidly identify FDA-approved drugs that can prevent or treat COVID-19 infections By Lindsay Brownell (BOSTON) — The United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has signed an Agreement worth up to $16 million over the next year with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University to identify and test FDA-approved drugs that could be repurposed to prevent or treat COVID-19. This highly collaborative effort leverages the…

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]]> https://wyss.stage.a17.io/news/repurposing-approved-drugs-for-covid-19-at-an-accelerated-pace/ Wyss Postdoctoral Fellow Amir Bein, Ph.D., checks a batch of human Organ Chips in the lab. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University https://wyss-stage.imgix.net/app/uploads/2020/06/15135602/Organ-Chip-Team_Amir-Bein-checking-chips.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=faces%2Centropy&fit=crop&h=400&q=50&w=300&s=6c0520b7feffc474f5a14c0babbe3d37"/>