Dr. Jun Ding’s UNAGI platform utilizes AI-powered tools to enhance in-silico therapeutics and streamline drug discovery, focusing on cellular dynamics. As part of the Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program, Ding’s innovative approach decodes disease progression with an international team, aiming to identify therapies more efficiently. UNAGI is one of the first deep generative AI tools designed to simulate cellular behavior, thus expediting the discovery of drug candidates while minimizing traditional lab experiments. Recent findings published in Nature Biomedical Engineering indicate its efficacy in identifying potential treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and COVID-19. The platform successfully pinpointed Nifedipine, a common blood pressure medication, as a candidate for lung fibrosis treatment. By integrating unsupervised deep learning and high-resolution single-cell omics, UNAGI supports rapid drug discovery across various diseases, underlining its significance in computational medicine and advancing healthcare innovations.
