A new peer-reviewed study by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin (UT at Austin) shows how artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning can help guide and improve enzyme design for the synthesis of galantamine, a drug used to treat patients with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. This study demonstrates the powerful potential of the combination of AI and directed evolution in the industrial-scale production of important medications in the future.

Galantamine may help improve the cognitive ability of patients diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s by slowing the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in learning and memory, per the Mayo Clinic. In Alzheimer’s patients, acetylcholine is in lower concentration and function, according to The Interplay of Neurotransmitters in Alzheimer's Disease by Paul Francis. Galantamine, the generic drug........

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