Harvard Scientists Use AI-Designed Proteins to Generate Immune Cells

• Harvard scientists have used AI-designed proteins to generate large numbers of immune cells and enhance immunity against diseases.

• The scientists engineered a synthetic activator of the Notch signalling pathway, a key cellular pathway essential for transforming human immune progenitors into T cells.

• Notch signalling is a cell-to-cell communication system vital for various developmental processes and tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms.

• The team developed a library of custom-designed soluble Notch agonists to activate the Notch pathway and support T cell development and function.

• AI-driven protein design technologies were used to address the challenge.

• The agonists demonstrated the large-scale generation of T cells in a laboratory bioreactor, an important advancement given the growing demand for T cell production in hospitals worldwide.

• The treatment resulted in increased production of memory T cells, crucial for the long-term impact of vaccines.