A study carried out at the Centre for Genomic Regulation(CGR) in Barcelona, had recently discovered the first reported instance of generative AI designing synthetic molecules that can successfully control gene expression in healthy mammalian cells. The model can be told to create synthetic fragments of DNA with custom criteria, and then predict which combination of nucleotides (A, T, C, G) are needed for the gene expression patterns required in specific types of cells. Researchers then chemically synthesized roughly 250 nucleotide DNA fragments and then add them to a virus, which will then carry the modified DNA into a desired cell.
For proof that the AI modification was successful, researchers asked the AI to design synthetic fragments that activate a gene coding for a fluorescent protein in certain cells while leaving other gene expression patterns untouched. They created the desired fragments from scratch and transferred them into a mouse's genome, where the modified sequence fused with the mouse's genome in random places. The results of this study could be used to find new ways for gene therapy developers to boost or weaken the activity of genes in certain cells or tissues. This use of AI can also be used to find alter a person's genes and make treatments more effective and reduce side effects. This concept hasn't been tested yet, but researchers intend to start investigating this soon. AI-generated enhancers can help engineer ultra-selective switches that can be designed to have specific on/off patterns required in specific types of cells. A level of accuracy which is crucial for creating therapies that avoid unintended effects in healthy cells.
I fully believe that this will be the future of genetics for the foreseeable future. This technology combined with the power of AlphaFold and a lot of computing power can let potentially let you design genes, proteins, and even organisms from the ground up. I think we are on the cusp, and probably already in, a biotechnological revolution. the 2020s will go down in history for a lot of things, but this is probably the most important.
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