Innovative Project Applies Artificial Intelligence to Biotechnology

A project by Azores Life Science, in partnership with Cybermap, the University of the Azores, and supported by Google, will apply supercomputing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to biotechnology to rapidly discover molecules from Azorean microorganisms with potential applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. This is an innovative project at the national level, aiming to accelerate the discovery of the potential applications of molecules extracted from extremophile microorganisms found in the Azores for these industries.

Developed by Azores Life Science in collaboration with Cybermap, the University of the Azores, and with Google's support, the project will use a high-performance genomic sequencer combined with supercomputing and AI to analyze large amounts of data. According to statements made to Açoriano Oriental by Miguel Pombo, administrator of Azores Life Science, with the use of supercomputing and AI, "it is possible to do in a few hours what, using traditional techniques, could take years to investigate when correlating a molecule with its therapeutic application."

With AI, Miguel Pombo explains, "in about nine hours, we were able to identify around 60,000 peptides (molecules) from a single sample, which form the basis of medicines for various diseases, supplements, and cosmetic ingredients—work that would take several years using traditional laboratory methods."

Miguel Pombo further explains that “there are some hotspots in the Azores with significant biodiversity, which are unique globally,” such as fumaroles and hydrothermal vents. By using high- performance genomic sequencing, even from a microscopic sample, it is possible to read the DNA, i.e., the genetic instructions of these extremophile microorganisms, to identify which molecules can be used to treat diseases, heal wounds, speed up yeast production, or for other industrial applications.

Azores Life Science is a biotechnology company based at Nonagon – São Miguel Science and Technology Park in Lagoa. It currently has eight employees working across Nonagon, the University of the Azores in Ponta Delgada, and remotely in Lisbon. Azores Life Science owns the cosmetic brand Ignae, through which the Azorean company has gained international recognition.

In his career, Miguel Pombo worked for a consulting firm in Belgium, where "our clients were already starting to show interest in many assets that existed here in the Azores." He also recalls that global biotechnology companies have visited the Azores to collect samples that later led to the development of medicines or cosmetic products, "but with the wealth being generated abroad."

The emergence of high-performance genomic sequencing technologies, supported by AI, has enabled small companies like Azores Life Science to "start exploring the potential that biodiversity represents for the pharmaceutical or food industry," Miguel Pombo says, helping ensure that this value "stays in the region" through rights charged on the industrial use of molecules discovered in the Azores.

“We already have global clients interested in the genetic information and products we will generate from this process,” Miguel Pombo reveals, emphasizing that extremophile microorganisms “thrive in conditions where no other life forms are found, developing unique characteristics to survive and prosper in high temperatures or extreme acidity.”

This project is also being developed with another Azorean company, Cybermap, which is involved in software development and is a partner of the U.S. giant Google in the Azores. Thanks to this partnership, Google became interested in the project and awarded a €250,000 grant, providing one year (with a possible extension to two) of access to Google’s cloud-based supercomputing and AI resources.

Cybermap’s managing partner and CEO, Luís Melo, explained to Açoriano Oriental that his company has been linked to Azores Life Science since the biotechnology firm’s early days. They have now managed to leverage Google’s interest in supporting growing startups that, in the last year, have attracted investment.

“The application was accepted at the beginning of 2024, and since then, it has been a significant boost for the development of Azores Life Science’s activities,” Luís Melo says.

On Wednesday, a two-year agreement was signed with the University of the Azores to develop this project at the Azores Biotechnology Center in Ponta Delgada. This center will have access to the high-performance genomic sequencer and supercomputing tools with AI. As Miguel Pombo explains, “the University of the Azores has human resources and research capabilities that allow us to develop the full potential already identified” in the extremophile microorganisms discovered in the Azores.

The University of the Azores will even be able to use this technology in other projects, “which benefits everyone because it brings sequencing and supercomputing capabilities that the university would hardly access otherwise, while for us, as a company, it allows us to develop new assets,” Miguel Pombo concludes.