Co-Scientist: Fast-tracking infectious disease research — Google DeepMind Skip to main content Explore our next generation AI systems Explore models Gemini Gemini Build intelligent agents Gemini Omni Create anything from anything Nano Banana Create and edit detailed images Gemini Audio Talk, create and control audio Specialized models Veo Generate cinematic video with audio Imagen Generate high-quality images from text Lyria Generate high fidelity music and audio World models & embodied AI Genie 3 Generate and explore interactive worlds Gemini Robotics Perceive, reason, use tools and interact Open models Gemma Build responsible AI applications at scale Our latest AI breakthroughs and updates from the lab Explore research Breakthroughs SIMA 2 An agent that plays, reasons, and learns with you Genie 3 Generate and explore interactive worlds AlphaGo Mastering the game of Go Gemini Robotics Perceive, reason, use tools and interact Learn more Evals Publications Responsibility Unlocking a new era of discovery with AI Explore science Breakthroughs AlphaFold Predict protein structures with high accuracy WeatherNext Fast and accurate AI weather forecasting AlphaEarth Map our planet in unprecedented detail AlphaEvolve Design advanced algorithms for math and applications in computing Learn more Gemini for Science Experimental Tools Science Skills Our mission is to build AI responsibly to benefit humanity About Google DeepMind Responsibility Ensuring AI safety through proactive security, even against evolving threats News Discover our latest AI breakthroughs, projects, and updates Careers We’re looking for people who want to make a real, positive impact on the world Learn more Education Our National Partnerships for AI Accelerator programs The Podcast Models Explore our next generation AI systems Explore models Gemini Gemini Build intelligent agents Gemini Omni Create anything from anything Nano Banana Create and edit detailed images Gemini Audio Talk, create and control audio Specialized models Veo Generate cinematic video with audio Imagen Generate high-quality images from text Lyria Generate high fidelity music and audio World models & embodied AI Genie 3 Generate and explore interactive worlds Gemini Robotics Perceive, reason, use tools and interact Open models Gemma Build responsible AI applications at scale Research Our latest AI breakthroughs and updates from the lab Explore research Breakthroughs SIMA 2 An agent that plays, reasons, and learns with you Genie 3 Generate and explore interactive worlds AlphaGo Mastering the game of Go Gemini Robotics Perceive, reason, use tools and interact Learn more Evals Publications Responsibility Science Unlocking a new era of discovery with AI Explore science Breakthroughs AlphaFold Predict protein structures with high accuracy WeatherNext Fast and accurate AI weather forecasting AlphaEarth Map our planet in unprecedented detail AlphaEvolve Design advanced algorithms for math and applications in computing Learn more Gemini for Science Experimental Tools Science Skills About Our mission is to build AI responsibly to benefit humanity About Google DeepMind Learn more Education Our National Partnerships for AI Accelerator programs The Podcast Responsibility Ensuring AI safety through proactive security, even against evolving threats News Discover our latest AI breakthroughs, projects, and updates Careers We’re looking for people who want to make a real, positive impact on the world Build with Gemini Try Gemini Google DeepMind Google AI Learn about all our AI Google DeepMind Explore the frontier of AI Google Labs Try our AI experiments Google Research Explore our research Products and apps Gemini app Chat with Gemini Google AI Studio Build with our next-gen AI models Google Antigravity Our agentic development platform Models Research Science About Build with Gemini Try Gemini May 19, 2026 ScienceFinding the molecular switches behind new infectious diseases Share Copied The majority of emerging infectious diseases are caused by pathogens that jump from animals to humans, such as Ebola, HIV, flu and Covid-19. Professor Clare Bryant at the University of Cambridge is using Co-Scientist to hunt for the molecular switches that cause severe diseases, like sepsis, in humans when pathogens leap between species, and find new approaches to prevent this happening. Testing Co-Scientist, Bryant fed it a summary of one of her grant proposals studying flu in birds and humans outlining her lab’s research questions. The tool generated and ranked a set of promising hypotheses — some she'd already considered, some she hadn't. The unfamiliar ones were the most thought-provoking. When the grant was funded, Bryant fed in the full, detailed proposal. Later, reading through the output on a train to Brussels, she had an "a-ha!" moment: Co-Scientist had prioritised a protein that hadn’t been on her radar, connected to several signalling pathways she was already interested in. She spent the rest of the week itching to give it more data. Back at her lab, she added unpublished material, kept confidential within Co-Scientist. With each back-and-forth, the hypotheses sharpened, moving from candidate proteins down to the specific amino acids her lab could focus its experiments on. Bryant's team is now building cell lines containing the amino acid mutations to test the refined hypotheses. To get to the point of identifying precise amino acids would normally have taken two to three years of experimental work. But her lab is now on track to complete it in six months, she says, if the work with Co-Scientist has led them to the right targets. Co-Scientist pulls together the entire published literature and online resources to help me ask better questions. It catches what I'd miss in a data-rich field and helps me prioritise, so my team can focus on answering the right questions in the lab. Professor Clare Bryant, University of Cambridge Related posts Co-Scientist: A multi-agent AI partner to accelerate research May 2026Science Learn more Uncovering repurposed medicines to fight liver fibrosis May 2026Science Learn more Uniting biological toolkits for a new approach to ALS May 2026Science Learn more Accelerating discovery of liver disease mechanisms May 2026Science Learn more Opening new paths in aging research May 2026Science Learn more Fast-tracking genetic leads to reverse cellular aging May 2026Science Learn more Follow us Sign up for updates on our latest innovations I accept Google's Terms and Conditions and acknowledge that my information will be used in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy. 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