Quite a quick one today, gentle readers, but this is so potentially significant that we thought that you ought to know, Well, our researchers kind of insisted, to put it bluntly. So here goes.
We’ve reported before on how AI has been used to divine the structures of proteins with a speed and accuracy unimaginable only 10 years ago. We’ve also run our fair share of stories on CRISPR-Cas 9 systems and their offshoots like base pair editing.(LSS passim) Now imagine that a company in California has thrown all three of these favourite tropes into a heady mix. According to Rob Waugh of the Mail, they have not only done so, but are making it work. [1] Using AI systems Profluent Bio[2]think they can create a range of DNA editor proteins which will be at once more targeted and more efficient than the by now rather traditional CAS-9 which is, after all derived directly from living systems. As Rob says, the potential to edit and replace malfunctioning genes is now imminent. It could lead to breathtaking advances in the treatment of. Our particular hope is that abnormalities of the mind may at last be treatable. If they do indeed have a genetic component, which seems likely.
And we’ll sign off by adducing out usual regret, The staff of Profluent represent t tiny fraction of humankind. The work they do is both beneficial and significant. What is the other 99% of humanity actually up to?
[2]https://www.profluent.bio/
#DNA #genetic editing #CRISPR Cas 9 #AI
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