When Alagu Subramanian needed powerful computing resources to advance his groundbreaking research into drug stabilisation, he found an unexpected solution in Churchill College’s newly established Bill Brown Creative Workshops (BBCW). The MPhil Medical Science student has successfully developed an AI-driven computational pipeline that could revolutionise how life-saving biologic medications are stored and distributed worldwide.
Alagu, a Churchill Scholar studying at the Department of Surgery and Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, brought a uniquely multidisciplinary background spanning oncology, neuropharmacology, infectious disease, and structural biology. He graduated from Baylor University with an interdisciplinary degree in medical humanities and biochemistry, with research experience from developing cancer therapies to engineering antidotes against chemical warfare agents.
The project emerged from Alagu’s participation in the i-Teams programme at the Institute for Manufacturing, where he joined a team developing a lab-to-market strategy for a Cambridge academic’s revolutionary invention: a novel drug stabilisation technology capable of storing biologic medications like insulin and semaglutide at room temperature for extended periods.
“Stabilising biologic drugs is a major unmet challenge in pharmaceutical science,” Alagu explains. “Unlike traditional small-molecule drugs, biologics are large and structurally complex, making them particularly sensitive to temperature and handling. This technology could revolutionise how we store, transport, and administer these drugs, improving both equity and efficiency in healthcare delivery worldwide.”
The team identified a critical hurdle: pinpointing which biologic drugs would be structurally compatible with the resin-based stabilisation method. Alagu designed an AI-driven computational approach, creating a pipeline to identify suitable candidates through protein folding and docking simulations.
However, these resource-intensive simulations went beyond typical MPhil bioinformatics work, and departmental facilities weren’t available for such extracurricular projects. Without access to computational credits for the University’s high-performance computing cluster or cloud-based alternatives, Alagu initially tested his pipeline with simulated data – a limitation that prevented real-world application.
The breakthrough came when he remembered the powerful computers he was shown at the BBCW when he attended his induction. The facility’s AMD Ryzen 7 processors and NVIDIA RTX 4080 GPUs proved perfectly suited to his needs, enabling him to run every stage of his protein screening pipeline efficiently.
“The BBCW gave me the freedom not only to explore a creative solution to a real-world problem, but to actively build and test a computational pipeline I would otherwise not have had the resources to run,” he reflects. “It transformed a hypothetical project into a tangible outcome –and that shift from idea to implementation has been both empowering and formative.”
His computational pipeline integrates AI-powered protein folding with molecular docking simulations. Starting with FDA-approved biologics, he filters for proteins with specific amino acids that interact well with the resin technology. Using AlphaFold—an AI tool that predicts protein 3D structure – he determines whether key binding regions are accessible. For promising candidates, he runs docking simulations to estimate binding strength.
The results were remarkable. Alagu identified specific FDA-approved biologic drugs perfectly suited for stable binding to the resin, validating that certain protein drugs can be selectively captured and stabilised. His work revealed that protein 3D shape plays a crucial role in resin compatibility.
“The BBCW gave me the freedom not only to explore a creative solution to a real-world problem, but to actively build and test a computational pipeline I would otherwise not have had the resources to run. It transformed a hypothetical project into a tangible outcome.”
Real-world impact
The potential impact extends far beyond academic achievement. By identifying biologics that can be stabilised efficiently without refrigeration using low-cost, reusable resin, the work could dramatically improve drug storage and transport – especially in regions with limited cold chain infrastructure. This could expand access to life-saving treatments worldwide while reducing costs and drug waste.
The technology’s inventor is now exploring the compatibility of candidates identified through Alagu’s pipeline, bringing the research closer to real-world application.
Beyond his research, Alagu serves as a Churchill College Student Ambassador giving College tours, hosts an interdisciplinary lecture series at the Møller Institute, creates science podcasts, and plays for Churchill’s first football team. He’s also a national award-winning multicultural dancer and international football competitor.
For Subramanian, the BBCW represents more than just access to equipment—it embodies the removal of traditional barriers between ideas and implementation, particularly for interdisciplinary projects that fall outside conventional departmental boundaries.
“Funders aren’t just supporting a room of equipment—they’re enabling the next generation of scientists, creators, and problem-solvers to think bigger and act on their ideas toward real-world impact,” he concludes.
