The UK‑led OpenBind initiative has reached a major milestone with the release of its first publicly available dataset , a groundbreaking step toward accelerating the discovery of new medicines using artificial intelligence. The release makes high‑quality, standardised experimental data freely accessible to researchers worldwide, providing AI-ready data to address the most persistent barriers in AI‑driven therapeutic development.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have identified a protein from the quagga mussel that can stick to surfaces underwater, even though it lacks a chemical feature long thought to be essential for this kind of adhesion. The protein, called Dbfp7, is the first freshwater mussel adhesive protein to be functionally characterized. The finding, published in a recent issue of PNAS, helps explain how some organisms attach themselves in wet environments and could inform the design of future medical glues — such as medical sealants and surgical adhesives — or other materials that need to work reliably in water.

Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering have developed a new method to mature lab-grown heart cells, so they more closely resemble adult human heart tissue. By optimizing the chemical cocktail in which these cells are grown, the team improved their structure, electrical activity and ability to contract. This advance could help create more reliable models for studying heart disease and testing new drugs, where current lab-grown cells often fall short due to their immature state.

A non-toxic coating developed by researchers at University of Toronto Engineering prevents proteins from sticking to surfaces — potentially offering a new tool in the fight against hospital-acquired infections. Professor Kevin Golovin and his team are experts in designing surface coatings that selectively repel certain substances. Their work has a range of applications, from keeping airplane wings ice-free to designing new types of non-stick cookware. Their latest work, published in Chemical Engineering Journal, focuses on preventing infectious bacteria from gaining a foothold.

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute today announced that Andrew Viterbi, a visionary communications pioneer and co-founder of Qualcomm Inc., has made a $5 million gift to endow the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Distinguished Chair in the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Sanford Burnham Prebys.