Jameel Research Backs MIT Project to Develop Next-Generation Antibiotics and Rapid Diagnostics

Collins lab to use AI and synthetic biology to tackle antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Antibiotic resistance already kills tens of thousands of people in the United States each year and costs the country roughly $55 billion annually. If the pipeline of new antibiotics continues to thin, the UK government-commissioned Review on Antimicrobial Resistance projects that drug-resistant infections could kill more than 10 million people globally per year by 2050 — a toll that would exceed current annual cancer deaths.

Jameel Research, part of the Abdul Latif Jameel International network, is sponsoring a multiyear project at MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering aimed at building the next generation of antibacterial tools. The project is led by Professor James J. Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science and faculty lead for life sciences at the MIT Jameel Clinic.

Collins and his team will use synthetic biology and generative AI to design programmable antibacterials — engineered microbes that deliver AI-designed minibinders to neutralize key toxins and protein targets in a range of bacterial pathogens. The same platform aims to produce rapid diagnostics that can identify resistant strains faster, helping clinicians deploy antibiotics only where they will work. Both advances target the root of the resistance crisis: overuse and misuse of antibiotics caused in part by slow, imprecise testing.

Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel KBE, chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel, said antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent challenges facing global health and that addressing it requires “ambitious science and sustained collaboration.” The Jameel Research sponsorship extends a relationship with MIT that dates back decades and includes support for J-PAL, J-WAFS, and the MIT Jameel Clinic. Jameel Research targets breakthrough technologies under development at leading universities with the potential for real-world commercial and humanitarian impact. Background on the Grameen Foundation’s earlier collaboration with Abdul Latif Jameel on microfinance and social enterprise in the Arab world illustrates the broader trajectory of Jameel-supported research with direct community applications.

Professor Collins said the project reflects a belief that tackling AMR requires both bold scientific ideas and a clear pathway to real-world impact. The first phase will develop and validate programmable antibacterials against a range of bacterial pathogens, with the longer-term aim of creating a platform that can respond rapidly to emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats.