
President Associate Professor
at University of Pennsylvania
César de la Fuente is a Presidential Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he leads the Machine Biology Group. He is one of the youngest tenured professors in the history of Penn Medicine. After earning his PhD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and completing postdoctoral research at MIT, de la Fuente focused on using machine learning and AI to drive innovations in biology and medicine. He pioneered the development of the first computer-designed antibiotic with efficacy in animal models, an achievement that marked the start of AI-driven antibiotic discovery. His lab is at the forefront of computational methods that have identified over a million new antimicrobial compounds. Notably, his team was the first to explore the human proteome for antibiotics and to discover therapeutic molecules from extinct organisms, launching the field of molecular de-extinction. These efforts have led to the identification of preclinical candidates like neanderthalin and mammuthusin. De la Fuente’s group has expanded its research by analyzing microbial genomes and metagenomes, identifying nearly one million new antibiotics. These discoveries have been made publicly available to foster global collaboration. Additionally, his lab’s exploration of human microbiomes led to the identification of new antimicrobial agents, including prevotellin-2, from Prevotella copri. Further, his lab is innovating by reprogramming venoms into antimicrobials, developing nanorobots for infection treatment, creating resistance-proof materials, and inventing rapid, low-cost diagnostic devices. A recipient of over 80 national and international awards, de la Fuente has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and named a top innovator by MIT Technology Review. He has published over 160 peer-reviewed papers and serves as an associate editor for several major scientific journals.
Education
The University of British Columbia
Awards & Certifications
Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)
MIT Technology Review's top innovators for
Inaugural recipient of the Langer Prize
ACS Kavli Emerging Leader in Chemistry
Miklós Bondanszky Award
EMBS Academic Early Career Achievement Award for pioneering development of novel antibiotics
Princess of Girona Prize
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