NUS team led by Asst Prof Liu Boxiang receives Google.org grant to advance AI-enabled genomics research

Assistant Professor Liu Boxiang and his team from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the NUS Faculty of Science have been awarded a grant under the Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Science. NUS is among 17 organisations selected globally, and the only one in Asia, to receive a share of US$36 million in funding to advance AI-powered scientific research.

The initiative supports research addressing challenges in climate, health and foundational science. Recipients also have the option to participate in a six-month Google.org Accelerator, which provides engineering support, technical mentorship and access to Google infrastructure to help transform their ideas into scaled solutions.

Asst Prof Liu and his team will use AI to map how genetic variations influence RNA splicing across populations, with the aim of predicting their effects on disease. RNA splicing is a process in which sections of an RNA molecule are removed, while the remaining sections are joined together. Understanding how genetic differences affect this process could help clarify their role in disease.

“We are at an inflection point where AI is changing the way science is done. We are incredibly excited to partner with Google to accelerate our AI-enabled genomics research,” said Asst Prof Liu.