The research project is aptly titled IDentif.AI - Identifying Infectious Disease Combination Therapy with Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has beaten the world’s best Go player, powered autonomous vehicles and initiated robot surgeons. Now, a team of NUS scientists are utilising AI in the fight against the world’s deadliest pandemic in recent times — COVID-19.

 

Propelled by tech giant Micron Technology’s funding, the research project identifies the best drugs and dosage combinations to treat COVID-19. It is aptly titled IDentif.AI - Identifying Infectious Disease Combination Therapy with Artificial Intelligence.

The groundbreaking study is germinated in the laboratories of the N.1 Institute for Health at NUS (N.1). Professor Dean Ho, who is director of N.1 and the Institute for Digital Medicine, said: “Identifying a drug that can be used to treat COVID-19 is a gruelling task, which requires both time and precision, given the amount of possible drug combinations.”

The deluge of possible drug combinations is indeed mind-boggling: more than 530,000. This was already based on a pool of 12 carefully curated drugs. 

With AI, the identification of an optimal interim treatment for COVID-19 patients is accelerated.

How fast? IDentif.AI can yield answers within days to two weeks. 

Micron Foundation’s funds will ensure IDentif.AI stays up-to-date — be it tapping on state-of-the-art equipment, or testing with the most recently isolated virus strains.

As the world’s leading storage and chip maker, being a change-maker is hardwired into Micron’s philosophy. In a time of need, IDentif.AI stood out to Micron like a kindred spirit - a shared vision of deploying technology to make the world a better place.

“The project aligns with our vision to use data to transform how the world uses information to enrich life for all. As IDentif.AI will be accessible worldwide, it could have a huge impact in the global fight against the virus,” said Mr Chen Kok Sing, Corporate Vice President and Singapore Country Manager of Micron Technology, Inc.

The team will be launching a public resource, IDentif.AI Online. The online portal will give researchers an insight into the study’s latest developments and test results. The portal is slated to go live by the end of 2020.

Grateful for Micron’s donations, this is the IDentif.AI team’s way of paying it forward.