# MIT researchers win 2026 Pritzker Prize for AI antibiotic work

Digest AI · Research · published 2026-11-02T05:35:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/mit-researchers-win-2026-pritzker-prize-for-ai-antibiotic-work

## Summary

Regina Barzilay and James Collins, both professors at MIT, have been awarded the 2026 Pritzker Prize for AI in Science Research Excellence. The University of Chicago and Caltech established the award in 2024 to honor contributions that advance both artificial intelligence and natural sciences. The committee recognized the pair for their pioneering work in using AI to discover new antibiotics against drug-resistant pathogens.

The researchers’ first major breakthrough came in 2020 with the identification of halicin, the first antibiotic discovered by an AI system. A deep learning model trained on 2,500 molecules identified halicin, which was originally studied as a diabetes drug. Testing showed it could kill resistant bacteria such as Clostridium difficile and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This process, which typically takes years, was completed in just a few weeks.

In 2023, the team identified abaucin, a narrow-spectrum antibiotic effective against Acinetobacter baumannii. Collins noted that this shift from using AI as a discovery tool to a design tool opens new frontiers for drug development. Barzilay emphasized that while AI can automate parts of the pipeline, building realistic models of human biology remains a significant challenge.

## Key points

- Barzilay and Collins won the 2026 Pritzker Prize for AI-enabled antibiotic discovery.
- Their 2020 work identified halicin, the first AI-discovered antibiotic, in weeks.
- They later identified abaucin in 2023, effective against Acinetobacter baumannii.

## Why it matters

This award validates AI's role in accelerating drug discovery, potentially addressing the global antimicrobial resistance crisis by rapidly identifying new treatments for superbugs.

## Sources

1. [Regina Barzilay and Jim Collins win Pritzker Prize for AI and Science Research Excellence for work in AI-enabled antibiotic discovery](https://news.mit.edu/2026/regina-barzilay-jim-collins-win-pritzker-prize-ai-and-science-research-excellence-1102) (MIT News on AI, 2026-11-02, primary source)

## Cite

Digest AI, "MIT researchers win 2026 Pritzker Prize for AI antibiotic work", 2 November 2026, https://digestai.news/story/mit-researchers-win-2026-pritzker-prize-for-ai-antibiotic-work

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