Thematic Center for Intelligence Bioengineering

Drug development is a complex, time-consuming, and expensive process. To lower the barriers to drug discovery before animal testing and clinical trials, this project aims to develop an integrated, cross-disciplinary technology platform to establish an automated, intelligent biological laboratory to assist in drug discovery and testing. In this system, we will first employ artificial intelligence methods, including deep learning neural network models, to efficiently and accurately perform virtual screening of large-scale chemical databases, preliminarily identifying compounds with high binding affinity to target proteins. After selecting candidate compounds, the project will develop an intelligent chemical synthesis system to automatically synthesize these compounds. This system will feature fully automated design combined with real-time Raman spectroscopy monitoring to achieve highly reproducible and reliable synthesis outcomes. In addition, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing chips with high throughput and sensitivity will be used to confirm the affinity between the synthesized compounds and target proteins, as well as to study interactions between the compounds and living cells. To further evaluate drug efficacy in tissue models that more closely mimic in vivo conditions, the project will also establish patient-centered cell and organoid models. The processes of cell culture, drug testing, and analysis will be automated to achieve unbiased, intelligent analysis.

With the rapid advancement of biomedical technologies, biomanufacturing and bioimaging technologies have become critical core technologies in the biomedical field. In particular, the latest developments in nanoscale imaging now enable the resolution of the three-dimensional spatial positioning and structures of individual protein molecules within cells or tissues. However, developing such new technologies requires collaboration among interdisciplinary experts in fields such as optics, electron microscopy, ion beam technology, and biological sample preparation. This project will first focus on developing novel biomaterials and sample preparation techniques for application in biomedical imaging, aiming to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis and treatment. Secondly, it will work to overcome the limitations of traditional imaging methods by developing higher-resolution, single-molecule-level imaging analysis tools to enable precise dynamic monitoring of biological systems. To drive technological innovation and promote the translation of research outcomes, the project will integrate various resources to build an efficient research platform and collaborate closely with medical institutions to shorten the time from research to clinical application. By developing high-value biomaterials and imaging technologies, the project will contribute to enhancing the international competitiveness of the domestic biomedical industry. Additionally, the project aims to provide a leading research platform for academic institutions both domestically and internationally, attracting collaborations with global scholars and professionals, and opening new frontiers in biomaterials and bioimaging technologies.