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IIT-Madras uses machine learning to help create newer, useful Peptide synthesis

BY M RAMESH

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, have developed a 'machine learning pipeline', which they call 'AI-expert', for suggesting the best combination of amino acids to form Peptide synthesis for a given purpose.

Amino acids are a group of 20 compounds of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. Short chains of amino acids are 'peptides', while long chains are proteins.

Theoretically there are billions of peptides, because amino acids can, mathematically, combine in so many ways. Much like one can form countless words with the 26 letters of the alphabet.

Scientists have all along relied on experience and intuition to come up with newer Peptide synthesis, but with artificial intelligence the selection of the right candidate to solve a particular problem can be more precise.

Prof Rohit Batra and his team at the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, have developed the 'AI-expert' to pick the 'right horses for the courses' among the billions of peptides. The AI-expert uses an algorithm known as Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) to make an informed decision on the peptide sequences.