Dr. Lokapally of GiwoTech Inc.

Decoding nature's molecular handshakes: How AI is revolutionizing our understanding of protein-protein interactions

Every second, billions of molecular interactions occur within our cells as proteins interact to sustain life, fight disease, and respond to environmental changes. These protein-protein interactions (PPIs) orchestrate everything from immune responses to neural communication, yet we understand less than 10% of how these crucial partnerships actually work. This knowledge gap becomes critical when developing new medicines, responding to pandemics, or understanding genetic diseases.

We are developing transformative technology that promises to revolutionize how we decode these molecular conversations. By combining cutting-edge artificial intelligence with advanced computational physics, our approach captures proteins in motion—revealing the dynamic "dance" that determines their function rather than relying on static snapshots. This represents a fundamental shift from traditional methods that struggle to predict how proteins will behave in real biological environments.

Our innovation addresses the central challenge in molecular biology: predicting what proteins do based on their behavior patterns rather than just their shape. By learning from the universal principles that govern protein movement, we're creating tools that can analyze the vast majority of unexplored protein interactions—potentially unlocking new therapeutic targets, understanding disease mechanisms, and enabling rapid response to emerging biological threats.

This technology has profound implications for drug discovery, personalized medicine, and biosecurity. Imagine being able to predict how a new virus will interact with human proteins, or identifying previously unknown drug targets for cancer therapy. We are not just studying protein interactions—we are building the foundation for a new era of predictive molecular medicine that could transform healthcare and biotechnology.

Biography:

Dr. Ashwin Lokapally, PhD

Co-Founder & CEO, GiwoTech Inc.

Dr. Ashwin Lokapally is a pioneering computational biologist and biotech entrepreneur who bridges fundamental molecular research with transformative AI applications. With a PhD in Neurobiology from Germany, and postdoctoral training at the prestigious Whitehead Institute–MIT, Dr. Lokapally brings over 12 years of expertise in molecular biology, protein dynamics, and neurobiology research.

As Co-Founder and CEO of GiwoTech Inc., Dr. Lokapally leads the development of revolutionary "digital twin" platforms that aims to simulate viral structures and protein interactions using physics-based AI and molecular simulations. His company has garnered recognition from multiple federal agencies, including NSF Phase I STTR award, BARDA DRIVe AI Innovation Challenge, and Department of Energy funding, underscoring his ability to translate complex research into practical biodefense and therapeutic applications.