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Utilizing artificial intelligence to help discover the very nature of the process by which viruses enter human cells, bioengineers and virologists at Washington State University have uncovered an “on-off” switch that can completely block viral intrusion. Their study, published in the journal Nanoscale, focused on herpes viruses which utilize a “fusion” protein to enter human and animal cells.

The researchers combined AI-driven analysis, high-resolution molecular simulations, and lab experiments to sift through thousands of protein interactions to pinpoint the single amino acid that is the regulator for herpesvirus entry. When this amino acid was altered, the herpesvirus could not fuse with or enter cells. This eliminates infection with viral reproduction before it even begins.

We don’t know if this on-off switch is universal or herpesvirus-specific.  It is, though, a powerful demonstration that machine learning can search a large body of biologic processes to find unique solutions to therapeutic problems…..someday soon.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251215084155.htm

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/nr/d5nr03235k

#ai #virus #infection #replication #fusion