MiV Seminar: Arvind Ramanathan, Argonne National Lab - "Autonomous Laboratory for Accelerating Biotherapeutic Discovery"
Abstract:
We discuss the implementation of an autonomous laboratory that tightly integrates high performance computing (HPC), robotic platforms and generative artificial intelligence (AI) models for targeting intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). IDPs represent a significant challenge in targeting for therapeutics due to their expansive conformational flexibility and their functional diversity across cancer signaling pathways. Hence, designing therapeutics that target IDPs based on specific cancer signaling pathways can be challenging -- including the need to capture its conformational plasticity, context of post-translational modifications and signaling specificity with respect to its binding partners. To address these challenges, we build on a molecular- and pathway-scale reasoning system, which allows us to discover known/novel interactions based on existing literature and experimental data. We integrate automated platforms and high throughput experimental techniques to probe IDP-mediated interactions while simultaneously instantiating multi scale molecular simulations to capture molecular mechanisms that govern these interactions using agentic systems. We then combine generative models to suggest novel biologic designs (governed by protein scaffolds such as affitin, affibody, or antibody) that are also tested within the experimental loop. This approach lets us obtain precise control over IDP-mediated signaling within cancer signaling pathways.
Bio:
Arvind Ramanathan is a staff scientist at Argonne national Laboratory leading efforts in building robotic platforms for exploring complex biological systems. His research interfaces high performance computing, generative AI, and robotics for accelerating research in fundamental biology, namely to understand signaling mechanisms in living cells.
Part of the Illinois Computer Science Speakers Series.
Food will be provided after the seminar.
If accommodation is required, please email <communications@cs.illinois.edu>. Someone from our staff will contact you to discuss your specific needs.