National Food Institute of Denmark (DTU) developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool to prevent pandemics by detecting bacterial threats, broadcaster DR reported Saturday.
Named as "PathogenFinder2," the newly launched tool is to assess whether an unknown bacterium contains genetic traits that make it capable of causing disease.
It uses AI to identify potentially disease-causing bacteria before they start to infect by reviewing samples from wastewater, healthy people and animals.
"It is crucial not only to be able to predict bacterial threats that are similar to those we already know, but also to be prepared for the emergence of a completely new and previously unknown pathogenic bacterium," said the researcher Alfred Ferrer Florensa.
Florensa also noted that the tool performs "significantly better than all previous models."
