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Elon Musk and Ryanair: What’s going on?

Elon Musk and Ryanair: What’s going on?

Elon Musk and Ryanair have been experiencing turbulence of late, but what exactly has occurred?

The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO has been swapping barbs with Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, with petty insults thrown around by two grown-ass men on public platforms. And it’s all about internet on short-haul flights. Here’s what’s been happening.

SEE ALSO:

X reportedly still allows Grok-created, sexualized images despite new ban

Back on Jan. 14, Ryanair ruled out the possibility of installing Musk’s Starlink internet tech on its planes, like competitors British Airways and Lufthansa. O’Leary told Reuters, “You need to put antenna on fuselage, it comes with a two percent fuel penalty because of the weight and drag. We don’t think our passengers are willing to pay for WiFi for an average one-hour flight.”

The following day, Musk sprang into action on his social platform X, claiming O’Leary was “misinformed” and writing, “I doubt they can even measure the difference in fuel use accurately, especially for a one hour flight, where the incremental drag is basically zero during the ascent phase due to high angle of attack,” and pairing it all with an AI Grok explainer.

Since then, it’s been on — and in increasingly lower levels of mature.

When X suffered a major outage on Jan. 16, Ryanair took a jab at Musk on the platform, asking, “perhaps you need Wi-Fi @elonmusk?” Musk fired back, tweeting, “Should I buy Ryan Air and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?”

Then, in a radio interview on Ireland’s Newstalk, O’Leary was asked about Ryanair’s stance on Starlink. The airline CEO rejected the idea again, not only describing the impact of adding antennas to aircraft — “about a 2 percent fuel drag” and a boosted fuel bill of “$200, $250 million a year…in other words, about an extra dollar for every passenger we fly” — but then targeting Musk directly.

“I frankly wouldn’t pay any attention to anything that Elon Musk puts on that cesspit of his called X,” he said. “He was the guy who advocated to getting Donald Trump elected. I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk. He’s an idiot. Very wealthy, but he’s still an idiot.”

Of course, Musk hit back on X, recycling the insult and calling for O’Leary to be fired — a message he’s repeated on X since.

Since then, there’s been a few side-eye barbs on social media — on Jan. 19, Ryanair’s official X post retweeted a post responding to a question posted: “what is a propaganda you’re not falling for?” The airline’s response: “”Wi-Fi on planes.”

Now, Musk appears to be moving into his favoured tactic of controlling the narrative by buying it. Musk responded to the above post asking, “How much would it cost to buy you?” before later calling for O’Leary’s firing while using the r-word slur. Then, on Jan. 19, Musk posted a poll to X, asking whether he should “Buy Ryan Air and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler.”

On Tuesday, Ryanair moved things into even more immature territory than Musk (hard to do), with a post on X announcing that O’Leary has called a press conference on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Dublin, suggesting the airline is “launching a Great Idiots seat sale especially for Elon and any other idiots on ‘X’.” And yes, O’Leary did hold the conference, with Ryanair actually launching that sale.

O’Leary thanked Musk “for the wonderful boost in publicity, which has seen our bookings rise significantly,” and repeated Musk’s r-word slur about himself (not great) during his address.

“The Starlink people believe that 90 percent of our passengers would happily pay for Wi Fi access,” he said. “Our experience, sadly, tells us we think less than 10 percent of our passengers would pay for this access, and therefore we can’t afford to shoulder costs of between 150 or 250 million a year. If Starlink wants to fit our aircraft and pay for the fuel drive, we’d happily put them on board. But the only way we see Starlink working on board our aircraft on short haul flights is if you give it away for free.”


Credit: Paulo Nunes dos Santos / Bloomberg via Getty Images

As the BBC points out, Musk would have a hard time buying Ryanair, as airlines based in the EU must be majority owned by people from the EU, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, or Switzerland.

At this point, can Ryanair get back to draining our wallets with oversized baggage fees and Musk actually address the issue of Grok continuing to created sexualized images despite being banned from doing so?



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#Elon #Musk #Ryanair #Whats

ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable Leads the Lineup
ASUS Expands Chromebook Lineup in India With New CM14, CM15, and CM32 Models
	
Chromebooks aren’t exactly the most exciting laptops on the market, but they continue to be a popular option for students and anyone who primarily works in the cloud. Looking to capitalize on that demand, ASUS has launched three new Chromebooks in India, including a detachable 2-in-1 model that doubles as a tablet.



The new lineup consists of the ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable, Chromebook CM14, and Chromebook CM15. All three devices run ChromeOS and come with Google’s latest AI-powered features, along with cloud-first productivity tools aimed at students, educators, and young professionals. ASUS is also bundling three months of Google AI Pro with the devices, giving buyers access to Google’s AI tools and 5TB of cloud storage.



ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable Leads the Lineup







Leading the lineup is the ASUS Chromebook CM32, a 2-in-1 device designed for users who want the flexibility of both a tablet and a laptop. The device features a 2.5K touchscreen display, a detachable keyboard, a magnetic kickstand, and support for the ASUS Pen. This makes it suitable for everything from note-taking and studying to media consumption and light gaming.



ASUS has also focused on portability and durability. Despite its lightweight design, the Chromebook comes with military-grade durability certifications and Corning Gorilla Glass protection, making it better equipped to handle everyday wear and tear.



Chromebook CM14 and CM15 Focus on Battery Life







If you prefer a traditional laptop design, ASUS is also offering the Chromebook CM14 and Chromebook CM15. The two laptops feature 14-inch and 15-inch displays, respectively, and are powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 540 processor. While these aren’t performance-focused machines, they should be more than capable of handling web browsing, document editing, online classes, and other everyday workloads.



One of the standout features is battery life. ASUS claims both laptops can deliver up to 20 hours of usage on a single charge, which should easily get most users through a full day of work or study. The laptops also include a 180-degree hinge, allowing users to lay the display flat for easier collaboration during meetings, presentations, or classroom sessions.



Price and Availability



The new ASUS Chromebook lineup is now available through Amazon and the ASUS eShop. Pricing starts at ₹26,990 for the Chromebook CM14, while the larger Chromebook CM15 starts at ₹28,990. The more premium Chromebook CM32 Detachable is priced at ₹37,990. ASUS is also offering No Cost EMI and ASUS Easy Pay financing options. Monthly installments start at ₹5,165 for the CM14, ₹5,665 for the CM15, and ₹6,332 for the CM32 Detachable.





#ASUS #Expands #Chromebook #Lineup #India #CM14 #CM15 #CM32 #ModelsAsus

Leading the lineup is the ASUS Chromebook CM32, a 2-in-1 device designed for users who want the flexibility of both a tablet and a laptop. The device features a 2.5K touchscreen display, a detachable keyboard, a magnetic kickstand, and support for the ASUS Pen. This makes it suitable for everything from note-taking and studying to media consumption and light gaming.

ASUS has also focused on portability and durability. Despite its lightweight design, the Chromebook comes with military-grade durability certifications and Corning Gorilla Glass protection, making it better equipped to handle everyday wear and tear.

Chromebook CM14 and CM15 Focus on Battery Life

If you prefer a traditional laptop design, ASUS is also offering the Chromebook CM14 and Chromebook CM15. The two laptops feature 14-inch and 15-inch displays, respectively, and are powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 540 processor. While these aren’t performance-focused machines, they should be more than capable of handling web browsing, document editing, online classes, and other everyday workloads.

One of the standout features is battery life. ASUS claims both laptops can deliver up to 20 hours of usage on a single charge, which should easily get most users through a full day of work or study. The laptops also include a 180-degree hinge, allowing users to lay the display flat for easier collaboration during meetings, presentations, or classroom sessions.

Price and Availability

The new ASUS Chromebook lineup is now available through Amazon and the ASUS eShop. Pricing starts at ₹26,990 for the Chromebook CM14, while the larger Chromebook CM15 starts at ₹28,990. The more premium Chromebook CM32 Detachable is priced at ₹37,990. ASUS is also offering No Cost EMI and ASUS Easy Pay financing options. Monthly installments start at ₹5,165 for the CM14, ₹5,665 for the CM15, and ₹6,332 for the CM32 Detachable.

#ASUS #Expands #Chromebook #Lineup #India #CM14 #CM15 #CM32 #ModelsAsus">ASUS Expands Chromebook Lineup in India With New CM14, CM15, and CM32 Models
	
Chromebooks aren’t exactly the most exciting laptops on the market, but they continue to be a popular option for students and anyone who primarily works in the cloud. Looking to capitalize on that demand, ASUS has launched three new Chromebooks in India, including a detachable 2-in-1 model that doubles as a tablet.



The new lineup consists of the ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable, Chromebook CM14, and Chromebook CM15. All three devices run ChromeOS and come with Google’s latest AI-powered features, along with cloud-first productivity tools aimed at students, educators, and young professionals. ASUS is also bundling three months of Google AI Pro with the devices, giving buyers access to Google’s AI tools and 5TB of cloud storage.



ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable Leads the Lineup







Leading the lineup is the ASUS Chromebook CM32, a 2-in-1 device designed for users who want the flexibility of both a tablet and a laptop. The device features a 2.5K touchscreen display, a detachable keyboard, a magnetic kickstand, and support for the ASUS Pen. This makes it suitable for everything from note-taking and studying to media consumption and light gaming.



ASUS has also focused on portability and durability. Despite its lightweight design, the Chromebook comes with military-grade durability certifications and Corning Gorilla Glass protection, making it better equipped to handle everyday wear and tear.



Chromebook CM14 and CM15 Focus on Battery Life







If you prefer a traditional laptop design, ASUS is also offering the Chromebook CM14 and Chromebook CM15. The two laptops feature 14-inch and 15-inch displays, respectively, and are powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 540 processor. While these aren’t performance-focused machines, they should be more than capable of handling web browsing, document editing, online classes, and other everyday workloads.



One of the standout features is battery life. ASUS claims both laptops can deliver up to 20 hours of usage on a single charge, which should easily get most users through a full day of work or study. The laptops also include a 180-degree hinge, allowing users to lay the display flat for easier collaboration during meetings, presentations, or classroom sessions.



Price and Availability



The new ASUS Chromebook lineup is now available through Amazon and the ASUS eShop. Pricing starts at ₹26,990 for the Chromebook CM14, while the larger Chromebook CM15 starts at ₹28,990. The more premium Chromebook CM32 Detachable is priced at ₹37,990. ASUS is also offering No Cost EMI and ASUS Easy Pay financing options. Monthly installments start at ₹5,165 for the CM14, ₹5,665 for the CM15, and ₹6,332 for the CM32 Detachable.





#ASUS #Expands #Chromebook #Lineup #India #CM14 #CM15 #CM32 #ModelsAsus

ASUS Chromebook CM32, a 2-in-1 device designed for users who want the flexibility of both a tablet and a laptop. The device features a 2.5K touchscreen display, a detachable keyboard, a magnetic kickstand, and support for the ASUS Pen. This makes it suitable for everything from note-taking and studying to media consumption and light gaming.

ASUS has also focused on portability and durability. Despite its lightweight design, the Chromebook comes with military-grade durability certifications and Corning Gorilla Glass protection, making it better equipped to handle everyday wear and tear.

Chromebook CM14 and CM15 Focus on Battery Life

If you prefer a traditional laptop design, ASUS is also offering the Chromebook CM14 and Chromebook CM15. The two laptops feature 14-inch and 15-inch displays, respectively, and are powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 540 processor. While these aren’t performance-focused machines, they should be more than capable of handling web browsing, document editing, online classes, and other everyday workloads.

One of the standout features is battery life. ASUS claims both laptops can deliver up to 20 hours of usage on a single charge, which should easily get most users through a full day of work or study. The laptops also include a 180-degree hinge, allowing users to lay the display flat for easier collaboration during meetings, presentations, or classroom sessions.

Price and Availability

The new ASUS Chromebook lineup is now available through Amazon and the ASUS eShop. Pricing starts at ₹26,990 for the Chromebook CM14, while the larger Chromebook CM15 starts at ₹28,990. The more premium Chromebook CM32 Detachable is priced at ₹37,990. ASUS is also offering No Cost EMI and ASUS Easy Pay financing options. Monthly installments start at ₹5,165 for the CM14, ₹5,665 for the CM15, and ₹6,332 for the CM32 Detachable.

#ASUS #Expands #Chromebook #Lineup #India #CM14 #CM15 #CM32 #ModelsAsus">ASUS Expands Chromebook Lineup in India With New CM14, CM15, and CM32 Models

Chromebooks aren’t exactly the most exciting laptops on the market, but they continue to be a popular option for students and anyone who primarily works in the cloud. Looking to capitalize on that demand, ASUS has launched three new Chromebooks in India, including a detachable 2-in-1 model that doubles as a tablet.

The new lineup consists of the ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable, Chromebook CM14, and Chromebook CM15. All three devices run ChromeOS and come with Google’s latest AI-powered features, along with cloud-first productivity tools aimed at students, educators, and young professionals. ASUS is also bundling three months of Google AI Pro with the devices, giving buyers access to Google’s AI tools and 5TB of cloud storage.

ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable Leads the Lineup

ASUS Expands Chromebook Lineup in India With New CM14, CM15, and CM32 Models
	
Chromebooks aren’t exactly the most exciting laptops on the market, but they continue to be a popular option for students and anyone who primarily works in the cloud. Looking to capitalize on that demand, ASUS has launched three new Chromebooks in India, including a detachable 2-in-1 model that doubles as a tablet.



The new lineup consists of the ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable, Chromebook CM14, and Chromebook CM15. All three devices run ChromeOS and come with Google’s latest AI-powered features, along with cloud-first productivity tools aimed at students, educators, and young professionals. ASUS is also bundling three months of Google AI Pro with the devices, giving buyers access to Google’s AI tools and 5TB of cloud storage.



ASUS Chromebook CM32 Detachable Leads the Lineup







Leading the lineup is the ASUS Chromebook CM32, a 2-in-1 device designed for users who want the flexibility of both a tablet and a laptop. The device features a 2.5K touchscreen display, a detachable keyboard, a magnetic kickstand, and support for the ASUS Pen. This makes it suitable for everything from note-taking and studying to media consumption and light gaming.



ASUS has also focused on portability and durability. Despite its lightweight design, the Chromebook comes with military-grade durability certifications and Corning Gorilla Glass protection, making it better equipped to handle everyday wear and tear.



Chromebook CM14 and CM15 Focus on Battery Life







If you prefer a traditional laptop design, ASUS is also offering the Chromebook CM14 and Chromebook CM15. The two laptops feature 14-inch and 15-inch displays, respectively, and are powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 540 processor. While these aren’t performance-focused machines, they should be more than capable of handling web browsing, document editing, online classes, and other everyday workloads.



One of the standout features is battery life. ASUS claims both laptops can deliver up to 20 hours of usage on a single charge, which should easily get most users through a full day of work or study. The laptops also include a 180-degree hinge, allowing users to lay the display flat for easier collaboration during meetings, presentations, or classroom sessions.



Price and Availability



The new ASUS Chromebook lineup is now available through Amazon and the ASUS eShop. Pricing starts at ₹26,990 for the Chromebook CM14, while the larger Chromebook CM15 starts at ₹28,990. The more premium Chromebook CM32 Detachable is priced at ₹37,990. ASUS is also offering No Cost EMI and ASUS Easy Pay financing options. Monthly installments start at ₹5,165 for the CM14, ₹5,665 for the CM15, and ₹6,332 for the CM32 Detachable.





#ASUS #Expands #Chromebook #Lineup #India #CM14 #CM15 #CM32 #ModelsAsus

Leading the lineup is the ASUS Chromebook CM32, a 2-in-1 device designed for users who want the flexibility of both a tablet and a laptop. The device features a 2.5K touchscreen display, a detachable keyboard, a magnetic kickstand, and support for the ASUS Pen. This makes it suitable for everything from note-taking and studying to media consumption and light gaming.

ASUS has also focused on portability and durability. Despite its lightweight design, the Chromebook comes with military-grade durability certifications and Corning Gorilla Glass protection, making it better equipped to handle everyday wear and tear.

Chromebook CM14 and CM15 Focus on Battery Life

If you prefer a traditional laptop design, ASUS is also offering the Chromebook CM14 and Chromebook CM15. The two laptops feature 14-inch and 15-inch displays, respectively, and are powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 540 processor. While these aren’t performance-focused machines, they should be more than capable of handling web browsing, document editing, online classes, and other everyday workloads.

One of the standout features is battery life. ASUS claims both laptops can deliver up to 20 hours of usage on a single charge, which should easily get most users through a full day of work or study. The laptops also include a 180-degree hinge, allowing users to lay the display flat for easier collaboration during meetings, presentations, or classroom sessions.

Price and Availability

The new ASUS Chromebook lineup is now available through Amazon and the ASUS eShop. Pricing starts at ₹26,990 for the Chromebook CM14, while the larger Chromebook CM15 starts at ₹28,990. The more premium Chromebook CM32 Detachable is priced at ₹37,990. ASUS is also offering No Cost EMI and ASUS Easy Pay financing options. Monthly installments start at ₹5,165 for the CM14, ₹5,665 for the CM15, and ₹6,332 for the CM32 Detachable.

#ASUS #Expands #Chromebook #Lineup #India #CM14 #CM15 #CM32 #ModelsAsus

published late last week in the journal Nature Microbiology.

Good guy prions?

Prions are some of the strangest things around. They’re the misfolded form of a protein naturally found in the body. When a prion comes across its “normal” counterpart, it can somehow induce the latter to turn into a prion itself, almost like a zombie infection.

Classic prion disorders like mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are caused by the steady accumulation of one particular type of protein, aptly named the prion protein; these disorders are universally fatal. Some scientists have also argued that other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are caused by other kinds of misfolded proteins that act in a similar way to prions.

According to the study researchers, there’s growing evidence that prions and prion-like proteins are more than just harbingers of death. Studies have found that the normal prion protein and the prion-like amyloid beta (one of the drivers of Alzheimer’s) can have antimicrobial activity, for instance. So the team decided to conduct a sweeping analysis looking for antimicrobial peptide fragments within these proteins.

The researchers had previously built an AI model intended to predict the antimicrobial activity of any given peptide fragment, named APEX 1.1. Then they let APEX scan through 19.3 million short peptide fragments found in 2,897 prion and prion-like proteins. They initially uncovered 1,179 candidates, which the team narrowed down to 75 that showed the most potential. Of these, 59 were able to inhibit the growth of at least one bacterial germ in the lab, including 42 that did so at low levels (important for dosing considerations).

Finally, the researchers tested two of the strongest candidates on the skin of mice infected with Acinetobacter baumannii, a common source of drug-resistant infections in people. The candidates appeared to be roughly as effective as polymyxin B, an existing antibiotic often used as a last resort drug for certain drug-resistant infections.

The researchers have coined these antibacterial fragments collected from prions as “prionins.”

The future of prionins

More research is obviously needed to verify whether the team’s prionins can actually work as hoped—and safely—in people. The researchers also note their findings don’t settle the open question as to whether prions or prion-like proteins naturally tackle bacterial infections in our body.

At the same time, they do argue their work provides a strong proof of concept that prionins identified through AI can be viable antibiotic candidates for further testing.

“For a long time, drug discovery has been limited not only by what we can test, but by where we choose to look,” said senior study author César de la Fuente, director of the Machine Biology Group at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, in a statement from the university. “AI is changing that. It gives us a way to search the hidden layers of biology and ask whether molecules associated with one story—in this case, disease—may also carry another story with therapeutic potential.”

With any luck, the proteins known for causing the scariest diseases around could someday turn into our antibacterial allies.

#Deadly #Proteins #Mad #Cow #Disease #Fight #Superbugsantibiotic resistance,experimental drugs,prions">Deadly Proteins Behind Mad Cow Disease Might Help Us Fight Superbugs
                The next frontier of antibiotics might come from an unexpected place. Recent research identifies potential antibiotic candidates from inside prions—proteins capable of causing some of the deadliest brain infections ever known, such as mad cow disease.

 Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania used artificial intelligence to rapidly search hundreds of prions and prion-like proteins for peptides with antibacterial activity. They found several dozen promising candidates, two of which have already shown results treating bacterial infections in mice. The team’s findings establish “prion-related proteins as a productive source space for antibiotic discovery,” the scientists wrote in their paper, published late last week in the journal Nature Microbiology.

 Good guy prions? Prions are some of the strangest things around. They’re the misfolded form of a protein naturally found in the body. When a prion comes across its “normal” counterpart, it can somehow induce the latter to turn into a prion itself, almost like a zombie infection.

 Classic prion disorders like mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are caused by the steady accumulation of one particular type of protein, aptly named the prion protein; these disorders are universally fatal. Some scientists have also argued that other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are caused by other kinds of misfolded proteins that act in a similar way to prions.   According to the study researchers, there’s growing evidence that prions and prion-like proteins are more than just harbingers of death. Studies have found that the normal prion protein and the prion-like amyloid beta (one of the drivers of Alzheimer’s) can have antimicrobial activity, for instance. So the team decided to conduct a sweeping analysis looking for antimicrobial peptide fragments within these proteins.

 The researchers had previously built an AI model intended to predict the antimicrobial activity of any given peptide fragment, named APEX 1.1. Then they let APEX scan through 19.3 million short peptide fragments found in 2,897 prion and prion-like proteins. They initially uncovered 1,179 candidates, which the team narrowed down to 75 that showed the most potential. Of these, 59 were able to inhibit the growth of at least one bacterial germ in the lab, including 42 that did so at low levels (important for dosing considerations). Finally, the researchers tested two of the strongest candidates on the skin of mice infected with Acinetobacter baumannii, a common source of drug-resistant infections in people. The candidates appeared to be roughly as effective as polymyxin B, an existing antibiotic often used as a last resort drug for certain drug-resistant infections. The researchers have coined these antibacterial fragments collected from prions as “prionins.”

 The future of prionins More research is obviously needed to verify whether the team’s prionins can actually work as hoped—and safely—in people. The researchers also note their findings don’t settle the open question as to whether prions or prion-like proteins naturally tackle bacterial infections in our body. At the same time, they do argue their work provides a strong proof of concept that prionins identified through AI can be viable antibiotic candidates for further testing. “For a long time, drug discovery has been limited not only by what we can test, but by where we choose to look,” said senior study author César de la Fuente, director of the Machine Biology Group at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, in a statement from the university. “AI is changing that. It gives us a way to search the hidden layers of biology and ask whether molecules associated with one story—in this case, disease—may also carry another story with therapeutic potential.”

 With any luck, the proteins known for causing the scariest diseases around could someday turn into our antibacterial allies.      #Deadly #Proteins #Mad #Cow #Disease #Fight #Superbugsantibiotic resistance,experimental drugs,prions

published late last week in the journal Nature Microbiology.

Good guy prions?

Prions are some of the strangest things around. They’re the misfolded form of a protein naturally found in the body. When a prion comes across its “normal” counterpart, it can somehow induce the latter to turn into a prion itself, almost like a zombie infection.

Classic prion disorders like mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are caused by the steady accumulation of one particular type of protein, aptly named the prion protein; these disorders are universally fatal. Some scientists have also argued that other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are caused by other kinds of misfolded proteins that act in a similar way to prions.

According to the study researchers, there’s growing evidence that prions and prion-like proteins are more than just harbingers of death. Studies have found that the normal prion protein and the prion-like amyloid beta (one of the drivers of Alzheimer’s) can have antimicrobial activity, for instance. So the team decided to conduct a sweeping analysis looking for antimicrobial peptide fragments within these proteins.

The researchers had previously built an AI model intended to predict the antimicrobial activity of any given peptide fragment, named APEX 1.1. Then they let APEX scan through 19.3 million short peptide fragments found in 2,897 prion and prion-like proteins. They initially uncovered 1,179 candidates, which the team narrowed down to 75 that showed the most potential. Of these, 59 were able to inhibit the growth of at least one bacterial germ in the lab, including 42 that did so at low levels (important for dosing considerations).

Finally, the researchers tested two of the strongest candidates on the skin of mice infected with Acinetobacter baumannii, a common source of drug-resistant infections in people. The candidates appeared to be roughly as effective as polymyxin B, an existing antibiotic often used as a last resort drug for certain drug-resistant infections.

The researchers have coined these antibacterial fragments collected from prions as “prionins.”

The future of prionins

More research is obviously needed to verify whether the team’s prionins can actually work as hoped—and safely—in people. The researchers also note their findings don’t settle the open question as to whether prions or prion-like proteins naturally tackle bacterial infections in our body.

At the same time, they do argue their work provides a strong proof of concept that prionins identified through AI can be viable antibiotic candidates for further testing.

“For a long time, drug discovery has been limited not only by what we can test, but by where we choose to look,” said senior study author César de la Fuente, director of the Machine Biology Group at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, in a statement from the university. “AI is changing that. It gives us a way to search the hidden layers of biology and ask whether molecules associated with one story—in this case, disease—may also carry another story with therapeutic potential.”

With any luck, the proteins known for causing the scariest diseases around could someday turn into our antibacterial allies.

#Deadly #Proteins #Mad #Cow #Disease #Fight #Superbugsantibiotic resistance,experimental drugs,prions">Deadly Proteins Behind Mad Cow Disease Might Help Us Fight SuperbugsDeadly Proteins Behind Mad Cow Disease Might Help Us Fight Superbugs
                The next frontier of antibiotics might come from an unexpected place. Recent research identifies potential antibiotic candidates from inside prions—proteins capable of causing some of the deadliest brain infections ever known, such as mad cow disease.

 Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania used artificial intelligence to rapidly search hundreds of prions and prion-like proteins for peptides with antibacterial activity. They found several dozen promising candidates, two of which have already shown results treating bacterial infections in mice. The team’s findings establish “prion-related proteins as a productive source space for antibiotic discovery,” the scientists wrote in their paper, published late last week in the journal Nature Microbiology.

 Good guy prions? Prions are some of the strangest things around. They’re the misfolded form of a protein naturally found in the body. When a prion comes across its “normal” counterpart, it can somehow induce the latter to turn into a prion itself, almost like a zombie infection.

 Classic prion disorders like mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are caused by the steady accumulation of one particular type of protein, aptly named the prion protein; these disorders are universally fatal. Some scientists have also argued that other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are caused by other kinds of misfolded proteins that act in a similar way to prions.   According to the study researchers, there’s growing evidence that prions and prion-like proteins are more than just harbingers of death. Studies have found that the normal prion protein and the prion-like amyloid beta (one of the drivers of Alzheimer’s) can have antimicrobial activity, for instance. So the team decided to conduct a sweeping analysis looking for antimicrobial peptide fragments within these proteins.

 The researchers had previously built an AI model intended to predict the antimicrobial activity of any given peptide fragment, named APEX 1.1. Then they let APEX scan through 19.3 million short peptide fragments found in 2,897 prion and prion-like proteins. They initially uncovered 1,179 candidates, which the team narrowed down to 75 that showed the most potential. Of these, 59 were able to inhibit the growth of at least one bacterial germ in the lab, including 42 that did so at low levels (important for dosing considerations). Finally, the researchers tested two of the strongest candidates on the skin of mice infected with Acinetobacter baumannii, a common source of drug-resistant infections in people. The candidates appeared to be roughly as effective as polymyxin B, an existing antibiotic often used as a last resort drug for certain drug-resistant infections. The researchers have coined these antibacterial fragments collected from prions as “prionins.”

 The future of prionins More research is obviously needed to verify whether the team’s prionins can actually work as hoped—and safely—in people. The researchers also note their findings don’t settle the open question as to whether prions or prion-like proteins naturally tackle bacterial infections in our body. At the same time, they do argue their work provides a strong proof of concept that prionins identified through AI can be viable antibiotic candidates for further testing. “For a long time, drug discovery has been limited not only by what we can test, but by where we choose to look,” said senior study author César de la Fuente, director of the Machine Biology Group at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, in a statement from the university. “AI is changing that. It gives us a way to search the hidden layers of biology and ask whether molecules associated with one story—in this case, disease—may also carry another story with therapeutic potential.”

 With any luck, the proteins known for causing the scariest diseases around could someday turn into our antibacterial allies.      #Deadly #Proteins #Mad #Cow #Disease #Fight #Superbugsantibiotic resistance,experimental drugs,prions

The next frontier of antibiotics might come from an unexpected place. Recent research identifies potential antibiotic candidates from inside prions—proteins capable of causing some of the deadliest brain infections ever known, such as mad cow disease.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania used artificial intelligence to rapidly search hundreds of prions and prion-like proteins for peptides with antibacterial activity. They found several dozen promising candidates, two of which have already shown results treating bacterial infections in mice.

The team’s findings establish “prion-related proteins as a productive source space for antibiotic discovery,” the scientists wrote in their paper, published late last week in the journal Nature Microbiology.

Good guy prions?

Prions are some of the strangest things around. They’re the misfolded form of a protein naturally found in the body. When a prion comes across its “normal” counterpart, it can somehow induce the latter to turn into a prion itself, almost like a zombie infection.

Classic prion disorders like mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are caused by the steady accumulation of one particular type of protein, aptly named the prion protein; these disorders are universally fatal. Some scientists have also argued that other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are caused by other kinds of misfolded proteins that act in a similar way to prions.

According to the study researchers, there’s growing evidence that prions and prion-like proteins are more than just harbingers of death. Studies have found that the normal prion protein and the prion-like amyloid beta (one of the drivers of Alzheimer’s) can have antimicrobial activity, for instance. So the team decided to conduct a sweeping analysis looking for antimicrobial peptide fragments within these proteins.

The researchers had previously built an AI model intended to predict the antimicrobial activity of any given peptide fragment, named APEX 1.1. Then they let APEX scan through 19.3 million short peptide fragments found in 2,897 prion and prion-like proteins. They initially uncovered 1,179 candidates, which the team narrowed down to 75 that showed the most potential. Of these, 59 were able to inhibit the growth of at least one bacterial germ in the lab, including 42 that did so at low levels (important for dosing considerations).

Finally, the researchers tested two of the strongest candidates on the skin of mice infected with Acinetobacter baumannii, a common source of drug-resistant infections in people. The candidates appeared to be roughly as effective as polymyxin B, an existing antibiotic often used as a last resort drug for certain drug-resistant infections.

The researchers have coined these antibacterial fragments collected from prions as “prionins.”

The future of prionins

More research is obviously needed to verify whether the team’s prionins can actually work as hoped—and safely—in people. The researchers also note their findings don’t settle the open question as to whether prions or prion-like proteins naturally tackle bacterial infections in our body.

At the same time, they do argue their work provides a strong proof of concept that prionins identified through AI can be viable antibiotic candidates for further testing.

“For a long time, drug discovery has been limited not only by what we can test, but by where we choose to look,” said senior study author César de la Fuente, director of the Machine Biology Group at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, in a statement from the university. “AI is changing that. It gives us a way to search the hidden layers of biology and ask whether molecules associated with one story—in this case, disease—may also carry another story with therapeutic potential.”

With any luck, the proteins known for causing the scariest diseases around could someday turn into our antibacterial allies.

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