COVID-19 Spurs Scientific Revolution in Drug Discovery with AI

Research across global academic and commercial labs to create a more efficient drug discovery process won recognition today with a special Gordon Bell Prize for work fighting COVID-19. A team of 27 researchers led by Rommie Amaro at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) combined high performance computing (HPC) and AI to provide the clearest view to date of the coronavirus, winning the award. Their work began in late March when Amaro lit up Twitter with a picture of part of a simulated SARS-CoV-2 virus that looked like an upside-down Christmas tree. Seeing it, one remote researcher noticed how a protein seemed to reach like a crooked finger from behind a protective shield to touch a healthy human cell. "I said, 'holy crap, that's crazy'… only through sharing a simulation like this with the community could you see for the first time how the virus can only strike when it's in an open position," said Amaro, who leads a team of biochemists and computer experts at UCSD.