March 2025: Sheinin, Madi, Sharan: New research reveals how cells respond to drug treatments

In a recent study led by Ron Sheinin, Edmond J. Safra PhD student (Computer Science), Prof. Asaf Madi, Edmond J. Safra affiliate (Medicine), and Prof. Roded Sharan, Edmond J. Safra member  (Computer Science), a new AI-based system, developed by the researchers, enhances the identification of important biological patterns, such as responses to drug treatments. The innovative method, called scNET, aims to better understand how cells behave in changing biological environments, such as cancerous growths, integrates single-cell genetic expression data with information on gene interactions, allowing for the identification of significant biological patterns.

In a paper published in Nature Methods, the researchers explain how their approach can improve medical research and aid in developing treatments for diseases, providing biomedical researchers computational tools that will allow them to better understand how cells function.