Anthropic says Claude found new enzyme system ART that may point to a new gene-editing mechanism

Summary

Anthropic touts AI-led biology discovery - Anthropic's AI model Claude discovered a new enzyme system called ART by analysing DNA sequences, potentially revealing a new gene-editing mechanism similar to CRISPR. - The AI autonomously analysed over 200,000 genes in 21 hours, accelerating research that usually takes weeks or months. - The discovery, still preliminary and unreviewed, could lead to advances in gene therapy and disease treatment, with experts calling for further investigation. AI generated SAN FRANCISCO – US artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic on Sept 23 unveiled the first discovery from its molecular biology laboratory, a previously unknown enzyme system spotted by its Claude model and touted by the company as proof that AI can speed up basic research. Enzyme systems found in nature have led to some of biology’s biggest breakthroughs, from the tools that launched the biotech industry to the DNA-copying method behind many medical tests. According to the company, some 950 Claude-powered software agents combed through a database of DNA sequences for 21 hours. The agents found more than 200,000 genes for one type of enzyme and picked out 20 worth a closer look – work that would take an expert scientist weeks or even months. Anthropic said its researchers’ involvement was limited to the initial instructions and the lab experiments, with the AI agents working autonomously to decide which leads to pursue. One of the agents spotted something in viruses that infect bacteria that scientists appear to have missed: a string of short, repeating pieces of DNA sitting next to two genes, one for a known enzyme and one for a mystery protein. The set-up looks like CRISPR, a natural defence system in bacteria that scientists turned into a gene-editing tool now used in medicine. Anthropic chief Dario Amodei, who recently called for slowing AI development because of its risks, cited the discovery on Sept 23 in remarks to the UN Security Council, which he addressed by video link. The finding is “preliminary”, he said, but “may constitute a new gene-editing mechanism that could have applications in gene therapy”. He predicted “profound progress in the near future on diseases that have plagued humanity for millennia”. The function of the newly identified system, dubbed ART, remains unknown, Anthropic said. The company added that its initial experiments suggest t…