Xuemin Events
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Xuemin Luminary Lecture: Pascal Mayer Unveils "Sun Tzu and the Next Generation of Therapeutics"
SHANGHAI, December 17 – The Xuemin Institute of Advanced Studies at Fudan University launched its prestigious "Xuemin Luminary Lecture" series, featuring inaugural Xuemin Fellow Dr. Pascal Mayer, a French biophysicist and entrepreneur. Dr. Mayer, recipient of the 2022 Breakthrough Prize and the 2024 Canada Gairdner International Award, presented his latest research, which bridges ancient military strategy with modern AI to pioneer a new generation of therapeutics.
Dr. Mayer is globally recognized for inventing DNA colony sequencing, a technology that revolutionized biomolecular analysis and helped launch the era of modern Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). His work enabled breakthroughs in diagnostics, predictive medicine, and the rapid tracking of SARS-CoV-2 variants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his lecture, he recounted the development of this transformative method, which was initially met with skepticism. At a time when sequencing was a slow, fragment-by-fragment process, Mayer envisioned a way to survey the entire genomic landscape at once. By "chopping" a genome into fragments and using universal primers to anchor them to a slide, he created dense "DNA colonies" that could be read simultaneously under a microscope. This elegant shift to massively parallel sequencing laid the blueprint for modern NGS, slashing the cost and time of decoding life's code by orders of magnitude.
As CEO of Alphanosos since 2014, Dr. Mayer now applies advanced AI to discover safe, natural, pleiomolecular/polypharmacological therapeutic mixes. Inspired by the strategic finesse of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, he is pioneering what he calls a "one thousand cuts" approach to tackle the limitations of traditional single-molecule drugs.
"This would translate, in biology terms, into the idea that we now want to perturb cellular systems with what I'm calling pleiomolecular mixtures, "pleo" meaning many things happening simultaneously in different places. And this is by using massive diverse mixes of compounds."
By hitting many targets simultaneously with low-dose molecules, his approach aims to overwhelm pathogens while maintaining the safety and stability of healthy cells.
His new method involves using AI-driven algorithms to screen vast combinations of molecules derived from safe, edible plants, with the goal of identifying synergistic mixtures that can effectively target diseases like cancer with minimal impact on healthy cells. "You will drink green tea without thinking of a drug," he explained, highlighting the inherent safety of the approach.
This iterative process of testing and algorithmic optimization rapidly hones in on highly effective and safe therapeutic formulas, with applications in anti-infective, oncology, neurological, and metabolic health.
Dr. Mayer noted the striking parallels between his AI-enhanced discovery platform and the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has long relied on complex herbal formulas. He expressed hope for future collaborations, suggesting his work could be seen as an "enhanced version of traditional Chinese medicine."
In his closing remarks, Dr. Mayer encouraged the next generation of scientists to challenge established paradigms. "When you start thinking differently, you can see novel solutions to problems," he urged. "I encourage you all people to think, as we say in English, out of the box, that means to think differently from what is done currently."
The event, hosted by Dr. Xiaohong Helena Yang, Executive Dean of the Xuemin Institute, marked a significant step in the institute's mission to foster world-class, paradigm-shifting research. Dr. Mayer's visit has set a new starting point for connecting Fudan University with the global forefront of scientific innovation.
