Artificial Intelligence Helps Identify Existing Drugs That Can Kill SARS-Cov-2 In Cells

The cells were treated with more than 1,400 individual US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs and compounds, either before or after viral infection, and screened, resulting in 17 potential hits.

Scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify several drug contenders already in use for other purposes -- including one dietary supplement -- that can block or reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, used AI-powered image analysis of human cell lines during infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The cells were treated with more than 1,400 individual US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs and compounds, either before or after viral infection, and screened, resulting in 17 potential hits. Ten of those hits were newly recognised, with seven identified in previous drug repurposing studies, including remdesivir, which is one of the few FDA-approved therapies for COVID-19 in hospitalised patients.