Weekly AI/ML & Biotech Digest — Nov 2 to Nov 8, 2026
Although the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 is over, there are still many cases reported. The recent article by Trull and colleagues in PNAS showed that BA.2.87.1-like variants may escape recognition by the preexisting NTD-targeting antibodies, potentially reducing protection. What is more interesting and alarming is that this study suggests the remaining evolutionary space is big enough for new immune-escape variants. In other words, there is a realistic reason to believe SARS-CoV-2 may still evolve from the ongoing spreads although it seemed less life threatening for now. This is study is the first article listed below.
🧬 Biotech
- ★ Antigenic landscape of a highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 spike in ongoing viral evolution — Reveals that extensive N-terminal domain remodeling in BA.2.87.1 Spike increases flexibility and interacts with a heme metabolite to expose an immunodominant epitope. (weekly-pnas, 2026-10-28)
- ★ Soleil Wizman on X: "Clinical Development in an Age of Cheap Molecules" / X — Clinical Development in an Age of Cheap Molecules
- ★ An open structure-guided RNA foundation model for generalizable prediction
- ★ Harnessing catalytic knowledge to guide enzyme discovery and evolution with AlphaEnzyme — Retrieving an enzyme for a target reaction provides a starting point for evolution, but predicting how to improve it remains difficult.
- ★ Discovering molecular modulators with nanoswitch screening — Molecules that modulate protein-protein interactions, including through ternary complex formation, have been established as key therapeutics.
- ★ Parameter-Efficient Adaptation of Protein Language Models for Dual-Target Antimicrobial Peptide Discovery Under Strict Homology Constraints — The global escalation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a severe challenge to modern public health, necessitating novel classes of therapeutic agents.
🤖 AI/ML
- ★ AI needs meaningful versioning — Argues for meaningful AI versioning schemes to meet regulatory oversight and scientific reproducibility needs amid frequent model updates. (morning-news-aiml, 2026-11-03)
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