{
  "id": 19717340,
  "title": "New AI tool exposes plant pathogens and the genes behind them",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/new-ai-tool-exposes-plant-pathogens-and-the-genes-behind-them",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-12T22:00:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-11-ai-tool-exposes-pathogens-genes.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new AI tool developed by bioinformatician Guillermo Guerrero Egido can identify potential plant pathogens and the genes responsible for their disease-causing abilities. Guerrero Egido's PhD research produced a computational method that can analyze thousands of bacterial genomes simultaneously, rather than just a few at a time. By comparing the genomes of various bacteria, the tool, called bacLIFE, can predict which bacteria are likely to live in soil, on plants, or within the human body, as well as their potential role in causing plant disease. The system was trained using scientific literature on the lifestyles of around 40% of the analyzed bacteria, and it identified hundreds of candidate genes that may be involved in plant disease. To validate these predictions, Guerrero Egido tested six candidate genes in the lab, finding that disabling them reduced the bacteria's ability to infect plants. This method could save researchers time and effort in identifying key genes responsible for pathogenicity, as well as being useful for studying bacteria that infect humans or animals.",
  "summary": "Can a bacterium's DNA reveal whether it will make a plant sick? Bioinformatician Guillermo Guerrero Egido believes so. In his PhD research, he developed a computational method that not only identifies potential pathogens, but also the genes that may be responsible for their disease-causing abilities.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}