Using AI and DNA Signals to Detect Living Microbes
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A research team at
#HelmholtzMunich and
@helmholtz_ai, led by Prof. Lara Urban, has demonstrated that artificial intelligence can distinguish between living and dead microorganisms by analyzing raw signal data from nanopore DNA sequencing.
🔬 Nanopore sequencing measures changes in electrical current as DNA strands pass through nanoscale pores, producing rich signal patterns beyond the DNA sequence itself. The researchers trained
#AI models to infer microbial viability and applied them to a mock metagenomic datasets – simulating real-world samples such as soil, water, or the human microbiome, without the need to isolate individual organisms.
💡 This approach addresses a major limitation of genomic diagnostics: the difficulty in determining whether detected DNA originates from viable – and potentially infectious – microbes. The findings could significantly enhance the speed and accuracy of DNA-based diagnostics with applications in public health, clinical care, and environmental monitoring.
@LaraUrban42 @Harika_Urel @GigaScience
#Genomics #NanoporeSequencing #OneHealth #DNA
ALT Using AI and DNA Signals to Detect Living Microbes