Artificial intelligence technology optimizes anti-pest drug combination

Researchers at UCLA and two other universities have discovered an effective drug combination against common agricultural pests by using artificial intelligence technology.

In a study published earlier this month, researchers in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Iowa State University created a combination of four different drugs used to kill roundworms. Roundworms can infect livestock, causing stunted growth and sometimes death.

According to the study, roundworms have developed resistance to many drugs, and developing new drugs is costly and time intensive.

The researchers designed and tested optimal drug combinations using feedback system control, a form of artificial intelligence technology created by Chih-Ming Ho, a professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA.

Because of the large amount of possible drug combinations and ratios, researchers used feedback system control to create possible combinations. Researchers then tested to see if roundworms exposed to the combination were less active or paralyzed. Feedback system control would then compile the resulting data, eliminate ineffective combinations and provide better combinations for researchers to try.

In a press release, researchers said the study took significantly less time with the AI technology, and could be used as a model to quickly find effective drug combinations against other agricultural pests. Other researchers have used feedback system control to create drug combinations for diseases such as tuberculosis and have also used the system to research cancer.