Purpose of the workshop

Hosted by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, this interdisciplinary workshop will bring together researchers at the University of Bristol and colleagues working in the NHS and other organisations with an interest in AI in health to discuss application of AI in genomics, protein design and drug discovery.

The aim is to build on existing expertise and develop Bristol capacity in using AI to:

• Analyse genetic data, aiding in the understanding of complex diseases and the development of personalized medicine;
• Predict protein structures with high accuracy; model protein structure and design new proteins with specific properties with the purpose of developing new therapeutics and materials;
• Accelerate the drug discovery process by predicting how different compounds will interact with biological targets; identifying potential new drug candidates (and repurposing existing ones) by analyzing large datasets of chemical compounds and biological data.

The workshop will be an opportunity for cross-disciplinary networking and new collaborations with a view to enhancing capacity to develop ideas for and apply for programme grants. The workshop will also be an opportunity for researchers to develop ideas for projects intending to make future use of Isambard AI. It will support one of Faculty of Health and Life Sciences interdisciplinary Challenge Clusters with focus on engineering biology to create advanced therapeutics, diagnostics, food systems and biomaterials.

Background:

The University of Bristol is actively involved in research across genomics, protein design, and drug discovery with Bristol's BrisSynBio and the Bristol BioDesign Institute focusing on synthetic biology and protein design and Bristol Genomics Facility supporting  a wide range of genomic research, providing services like next-generation sequencing and genotyping. The university is involved in innovative drug discovery partnerships, such as the Evotec beLAB1407 BRIDGE Partnership, which aims to advance new therapeutic discoveries and also conducts research on antibiotic drug discovery and antimicrobial resistance.

Who is it for:

The workshop is open to all colleagues in the University of Bristol with an interest and/or expertise in AI in genomics, protein design and drug discovery as well as colleagues in the NHS and other organisations. We particularly welcome participation of engineers, data scientists and experts in machine learning or other colleagues whose AI-related skills could be applied to the area of genomics, protein design and drug discovery. 

Format:

The interdisciplinary workshop will be held in-person over lunch. Light lunch will be provided and participation is free.

To register please complete this short online registration form by midday Thursday 8 May 2025.

• Dek Woolfson, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
• Lucia Marucci, Professor of Systems and Engineering Biology, School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology, University of Bristol
• Ross Anderson, Professor of Biological Chemistry, School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol
• Daniel D’Andrea, Senior Lecturer in Data Science, School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology,  University of Bristol