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What to expect from SXSW 2026, tech edition

What to expect from SXSW 2026, tech edition

SXSW 2026 kicks off this week in Austin, and Mashable will be reporting live from the event. Check back soon for a deep dive into all the movies premiering at SXSW. For now, we wanted to break down all the tech news and events kicking off this week.

If the session lineup is any indication, the tech conversations dominating the festival floor aren’t going to be comfortable ones. From the creeping fear that AI is quietly hollowing out our capacity to think, to a generational reckoning over what work even means anymore, this year’s tech and digital culture programming is shaping up to be one of the most charged in recent memory.

SEE ALSO:

7 of the coolest indie games at SXSW Sydney 2025

Worth flagging for veterans: SXSW has scrapped the Creative Industries Expo this year. In its place, the festival is leaning into the XR Experience and Emerging Tech Expo, so expect the floor to reflect the same themes dominating the panels: AI, immersive tech, and how to create art with emerging technologies.

Here’s what’s worth paying attention to.

AI, AI, AI, and more AI

You may have heard about The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, a buzzy new documentary playing at the festival. Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko will be hosting a panel on the film. SXSW is also hosting dozens of events and panels about AI.

One of the most quietly urgent panels on the schedule is AI & the Brain: As We Embrace AI, Let’s Not Forget Our Minds, hitting the Westin Austin Downtown on March 12. The panel — featuring MIT professor Sanjay Sarma, Edifii co-founder Izzat Jarudi, and Massachusetts Board of Education chairman Chris Gabrieli — isn’t here to dunk on AI. It’s asking a harder question: as machines get smarter, are we getting lazier? The session wrestles with what rapid AI adoption is doing to our capacity to reason, create, and learn independently. Expect this one to draw a crowd.

Also happening on March 12 is a sitdown with journalist Tara Palmeri and Imran Ahmed — CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate — for Who Owns the Truth? The session takes a hard look at how algorithms, AI, and a fractured media ecosystem are rewiring how people decide what’s real. With trust in institutions continuing to crater, the conversation promises to be less theoretical and more urgent than the title might suggest.

On March 14 at the JW Marriott, Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince — whose company handles 20 percent of all internet traffic — teams up with Mansueto Ventures CEO Stephanie Mehta for The Internet After Search. The premise is blunt: the economic model that has funded the internet for thirty years is breaking. AI systems now answer questions directly, AI agents are completing transactions without users ever landing on a website, and content creators are hemorrhaging traffic and revenue with no clear replacement in sight. Who controls information access? Who gets paid for content? Nobody has figured it out yet — but this session is going to try.

TikTok, trade schools, and the creator economy

The From TikTok to Toolbelt panel tackles what might be the most counterintuitive workforce story of the decade. Over half of Gen Z respondents in a recent survey said they’re considering skilled trades — up 12% from last year.

The panel, which includes voices from Frisco ISD, Interplay Learning, and education outlet The 74 Million, digs into how schools are scrambling to modernize career prep and meet students where they actually are.

Not everything has to be existential, however. Spotify co-CEO Gustav Söderström is hosting a session, tracing the company’s origin story — born out of the wreckage of music piracy — and laying out what comes next for audio, joined by country star Lainey Wilson and podcast host David Friedberg on March 13. And Keke Palmer is rolling into Austin with the full cast of I Love Boosters — Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Eiza González, Poppy Liu, and Demi Moore — for a live recording of Baby, This Is Keke Palmer. If you need a breather from the AI doom panels, you’ve got options.

Closing out the festival on March 15, YouTuber and former Instagram and YouTube insider Jon Youshaei takes the stage for the Social Media Masterclass 2026. Youshaei spent eight years inside two of the biggest platforms on the planet before building his own audience past the 1 million follower mark, and he’s bringing that institutional knowledge to Austin.

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#expect #SXSW #tech #edition

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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