Project description
Intelligent system for tailored protein engineering
Proteins offer a promising solution to various biotechnological challenges due to their ability to function under mild, non-toxic conditions and perform a wide range of tasks. Recent advancements in AI have generated excitement, particularly with protein language models (pLMs) that show promise for creating tailored proteins. Three advanced pLMs have already yielded encouraging preliminary results in experiments. The ERC-funded ATHENA project aims to develop an intelligent system for efficiently engineering functional proteins based on user-defined specifications. The project will train an agent that learns from sequence, structural, functional, and dynamic data to address various protein engineering tasks. It will also provide an accessible tool for researchers to design custom proteins.
Objective
Proteins offer an exciting path to address a multitude of biotechnological challenges. Capable of working under non-toxic, mild conditions and performing a myriad of functions, their controllable design has been sought-after for decades. However, to gain a technological advantage in a world with pressing demands in sustainability and healthcare, we must accelerate the development of custom-tailored, proficient proteins. In this proposal, we will develop an intelligent system capable of efficiently engineering functional proteins tailored to user-defined specifications.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) advancements are promoting a fresh wave of enthusiasm across many fields, providing solutions to problems that escape human intuition. Recently, protein language models (pLMs) are showing unprecedented performance in generating novel, efficient proteins. We have trained three advanced pLMs, demonstrating promising preliminary results in experimental settings. In this proposal, we will train an agent that will learn from combined sequence, structural, functional, and dynamic data to perform multiple protein engineering tasks. The agent will iteratively improve from experimental feedback using Reinforcement Learning, and explainable AI will allow us to ‘open the black box’ and understand its decision process. A vital component of this work will be its rigorous experimental validation, progressing through increasingly challenging tasks with biotechnological applications.
This project will deliver an intelligent agent with continuous learning capabilities, accessible through user-friendly interfaces, empowering researchers worldwide with an easy-to-use tool to design custom-tailored proteins. In addition, by incorporating explainability, it will offer a novel angle to understanding complex sequence-to-function relationships. Lastly, comprehensive experimental validation will assess the reliability and applicability of these novel approaches in real-world contexts.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG
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08003 Barcelona
Spain
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