back Back

AI tool tracks detailed evolution of viral pandemics–could have predicted COVID-19 before WHO

Jul. 24, 2023.
1 min. read. 4 Interactions

Scripps Research also developing treatments and vaccines using AI

About the Writer

Amara Angelica

232.43388 MPXR

Amara Angelica is Senior Editor, Mindplex

Pathology alert levels could have been raised months before WHO assignation of COVID-19 (credit: Scripps Research)

In a paper in Patterns on July 21, 2023, Scripps Research scientists demonstrated an AI system for tracking future viral pandemics by using data on recorded SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) variants and COVID-19 mortality rates.

The scientists showed that the system could have predicted the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 “variants of concern” (VOCs) months ahead of the official designations by the World Health Organization (WHO).

COVID early warning “anomaly detector” of “variant dark matter”

Co-first author of the study Salvatore Loguercio, PhD, a staff scientist in the Scripps Research Balch lab at the time of the study, and his team showed that they could use this SARS-CoV-2 tracking system as an early warning “anomaly detector” for gene variants associated with significant changes in viral spread and mortality rates.*

“One of the big lessons of this work is that it is important to take into account not just a few prominent variants, but also the tens of thousands of other undesignated variants, which we call the ‘variant dark matter,’” says study senior author William Balch, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research..

Developing treatments and vaccines using AI

The researchers also visualize the use of their approach to better understand virus biology and thereby enhance the development of treatments and vaccines. Currently, they are using their AI system to uncover key details of how different SARS-CoV-2 proteins worked together in the evolution of the pandemic.

Citation: Ben C. Calverley et al. Understanding the host-pathogen evolutionary balance through Gaussian process modeling of SARS-CoV-2. Patterns. July 21, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2023.100800 (open-access)

Let us know your thoughts! Sign up for a Mindplex account now, join our Telegram, or follow us on Twitter

Comment on this content

0 Comments

0 thoughts on “AI tool tracks detailed evolution of viral pandemics–could have predicted COVID-19 before WHO

4

Like

Dislike

Share

Comments
Reactions
💯 💘 😍 🎉 👏
🟨 😴 😡 🤮 💩

Here is where you pick your favorite article of the month. An article that collected the highest number of picks is dubbed "People's Choice". Our editors have their pick, and so do you. Read some of our other articles before you decide and click this button; you can only select one article every month.

People's Choice
Bookmarks