Abu Dhabi [UAE], December 16 (ANI/WAM): Scientists at New York University Abu Dhabi have developed a powerful new artificial intelligence tool, known as LA⁴SR, that can rapidly identify previously overlooked proteins in microalgae — tiny organisms that produce much of the Earth’s oxygen and support aquatic ecosystems.
The breakthrough is expected to accelerate the discovery of new natural compounds and enzymes that could support future clean energy solutions. It will also help researchers better understand how microscopic life adapts to changing environments, opening new possibilities for monitoring water quality and tracking ecosystem responses to climate change.
Microalgae are essential to life on the planet, yet many of their proteins are difficult to detect because they are mixed with proteins from other microorganisms. Traditional computer programs often miss large portions of these algal proteins or require weeks to analyze them.
To address this challenge, the NYU Abu Dhabi team trained an AI system to read protein sequences in a manner similar to how a language model processes text. As a result, LA⁴SR can distinguish authentic algal proteins from background noise with near-perfect accuracy and perform the analysis up to 10,000 times faster than existing methods.
“Microalgae are among the most important organisms on Earth, but much of their biology is still hidden from us,” said Kourosh Salehi-Ashtiani, Associate Professor of Biology at NYU Abu Dhabi.
NYU Abu Dhabi Senior Research Scientist and lead author of the study, David Nesson, said the new tool represents a major leap forward. “With LA⁴SR, we can finally see these proteins clearly; we are making the invisible visible. By training AI to capture genomic information that standard tools miss, we’re accelerating marine biology for health and environmental innovation,” he said.
The development of LA⁴SR marks a significant step toward revealing how some of the smallest organisms on Earth help sustain life on the planet.
Times Higher Education ranks New York University among the world’s top 31 universities, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest-ranked university in the UAE.
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