Using Generative AI To Engineer Enzymes, UF Researchers Help Transform Biotechnology

University of Florida researchers are on a mission to transform biotechnology and improve the way genetic disorders are treated, with help from generative artificial intelligence, or AI, and a U.S. Department of Defense grant.

Wenjun Xie, Ph.D., an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry in the UF College of Pharmacy, has received $100,000 in funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which is responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Through this funding opportunity, DARPA solicited innovative ideas demonstrating AI and machine learning’s capabilities in designing proteins and other biomolecules to improve health outcomes.

“DARPA funds research with the potential for transformative impact, and our work aligns well with this mission,” said Xie, the principal investigator for the project, who is working alongside Jing Pan, Ph.D., an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. 

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