Husker Doctoral Student, Brhanu Fentaw Wins Grant of $25,000 for AI Virus Research Prediction.

University of Nebraska - Lincoln doctoral student Brhanu Fentaw's idea of developing artificial intelligence model to predict the emergence of mosquito and other insect borne viruses has earned national recognition; $25,000 grant from Biswas Family Foundation.

Fentaw a biomedical engineering student is developing generative models designed to analyze viral DNA and simulate future viral lineages 6-12 months before they emerge. His research aims to flip the traditional outbreak timeline. Instead of tracking viruses after they appear, he aims to train his AI model to learn the language of viral DNA to identify potential threats before they reach human population.

Fast Grant, which is awarded to only 20 projects each cycle and designed to support bold, unconventional research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human health. It will allow Fentaw to purchase high‑performance computing resources, access specialized biological datasets and build a dashboard that public health agencies can use.  Fentaw said. “This grant lets us buy the data subscriptions we need to run the models, analyze the data and build tools that others can rely on.”

By combining artificial intelligence with genomic data, Fentaw hopes to move outbreak response from reacting to emerging viruses to anticipating them.  “This project feels like purpose — like something that could genuinely make a difference" claimed by Fentaw.

(Newswise/AM)