Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Research shows that phthalates, a class of chemicals associated with plastics, can shed from the wrapping, packaging and even from plastic gloves worn by food handlers into food. Once consumed during pregnancy, the chemicals can get into the bloodstream, through the placenta and then into the fetal bloodstream. The chemical can cause oxidative stress and an inflammatory cascade within the fetus, researchers noted. Previous literature has indicated that exposure to phthalates during pregnancy can increase the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth and child mental health conditions such as autism and ADHD.

Inspired by ChatGPT's popularity and wondering if this approach could speed up the drug design process, scientists decided to create their own genAI model. Scientists coded a model to learn a massive dataset of known chemicals, how they bind to target proteins, and the rules and syntax of chemical structure and properties writ large. The end result can generate countless unique molecular structures that follow essential chemical and biological constraints and effectively bind to their targets -- promising to vastly accelerate the process of identifying viable drug candidates for a wide range of diseases, at a fraction of the cost.

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  5. 'Where I live, many people don't have teeth'
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