Using thousands of AI agents to uncover new leads in biological data

What if scientists could uncover new clues about Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s in minutes instead of months? Working together, OpenAI, PerturbAI⁠(opens in a new window), and Scripps Research⁠(opens in a new window) used thousands of AI agents powered by GPT‑Rosalind⁠(opens in a new window) to analyze and interpret existing experimental data from millions of mouse brain cells⁠(opens in a new window) in just 32 minutes. The agents connected the effects of gene disruptions with findings from scientific literature, uncovering unexpected biological connections that can help scientists understand disease and identify research directions for new treatments. The work shows how AI can help researchers explore more of what large biological experiments reveal.

Modern experiments generate far more data than scientists can thoroughly investigate. Researchers can now alter thousands of genes and measure their effects across millions of cells. But understanding what these results mean for human disease requires connecting complex experimental findings with decades of scattered scientific knowledge. This is where AI can help scientists uncover promising leads that might otherwise be missed.

“We build cell atlases so that other scientists can make discoveries we haven’t imagined yet. AI could help more researchers explore these resources and turn unexpected observations into new questions to test.”

—Sarah Teichmann, Ph.D., Chair in Stem Cell Medicine at the University of Cambridge and founding co-chair of the Human Cell Atlas

The research team estimated that comparable human analysis and literature review, conducted one perturbation at a time, would take months to a year. The agents reproduced findings from human analyses while uncovering additional leads. Their assessments of novelty and scientific value also aligned with judgments from blinded human experts. These findings help prioritize further experiments needed to test the proposed biological mechanisms.