Penn researchers use AI to accelerate RNA drug development
Penn researchers use AI to accelerate RNA drug development
https://www.thedp.com/article/2026/04/penn-medicine-airfoundry-ai-driven-mrna-treatment-research
Publish Date: 2026-04-20 00:38:00
Source Domain: www.thedp.com
- Penn researchers have established the National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence-driven RNA Foundry (AIRFoundry) to revolutionize the delivery of RNA-based therapies through advanced AI and automation technologies.
- Funded by a $18 million, six-year grant from the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), the initiative aims to “transform how RNA is designed, synthesized, and delivered.”
- The center focuses on democratizing access to RNA technology by reducing technical barriers, allowing more disciplines to leverage RNA tools.
- Led by chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Daeyeon Lee, AIRFoundry seeks to build an open platform for collaborative research, with a vision to lower entry barriers to RNA technology.
- Third-year graduate student Andrew Hanna contributes to developing lipid nanoparticle formulations to generate datasets for machine learning, aiming to speed up drug development through more predictive systems.
- The ultimate goal is to reduce extensive trial-and-error testing in drug development by utilizing AI-driven data and recommendations.
