Mol-Detox: Reducing Animal Testing using AI via Molecule Detoxification wins Rep. Michael Lawler’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New York’s 17th District.

When asked what inspired the creation of Mol-Detox: Reducing Animal Testing using AI via Molecule Detoxification, Aadhya Vijil said, “What inspired me to create this app began with something I saw almost by accident. I saw a video describing how thousands of beagles are used in pharmaceutical labs for toxicity testing each year. I had always known that animals were used in research, but I didn’t understand the scale or the actual reality of it. Beagles are chosen because they are gentle and easy to handle, which made the situation feel even more upsetting. 

‘As I read more about it, I realized that most of these dogs are euthanized after these experiments end. I remember feeling shocked and wondering if there was any way to reduce how much animal testing is needed. Around the same time, there were also many news articles about how AI was being used to design new drugs, with nobel prizes awarded to computer scientists who worked in drug discovery. This made me realize that drug discovery is no longer only something that happens in labs with people wearing lab coats, it is increasingly happening on computers. When I had the opportunity to do science research last summer, I studied computer algorithms that are used in the medical field. 

‘Toxicity is one of the main reasons drugs fail and the main reason to perform animal testing. Sometimes a drug works really well but has one harmful side effect, so it gets completely discarded. I started to wonder that instead of throwing these molecules away, would it be possible to just adjust them slightly so they become safer? My app does exactly that. It uses toxicity prediction models along with genetic algorithms to suggest safer versions of molecules. My hope is that tools like this can reduce the need for animal testing and help researchers design drugs that are both effective and safe, while also protecting animals like those beagles that first inspired me to start this project.”