AI designs novel proteins from bacterial DNA

AI model Evo generates new proteins by learning from bacterial genomes.

Why it matters

  • AI-designed proteins could advance biotech and medicine.
  • Mimics natural evolution by working at DNA level.

By the numbers

  • Predicts 85% of a protein's sequence from 30% input.
  • Generated 120B base pairs of novel DNA.

The big picture

  • AI could revolutionize protein design for biotech applications.
  • Unclear if method works for complex genomes.

What they're saying

  • Users express interest and caution about potential risks.
  • Excitement over novel proteins with low similarity to known ones.

Caveats

  • Method may not apply to complex genomes.
  • Differs from targeted protein design approaches.

What’s next

  • 120B base pairs of AI-designed DNA await exploration.
  • Future work may test applicability to complex genomes.