- Start-up claims world first open-source AI-generated gene editor
- CEO of Profluent claims it can be used to create bespoke cures for diseases
- Technology has been made open-source so it is freely available to licence
A protein design company has created what it calls the world’s first open-source, AI-generated gene editor – where the human genome can be edited with customizable gene editors designed from scratch with AI.
Profluent’s OpenCRISPR initiative includes an AI-created gene editor, developed using Profluent’s large language models. Through the training process for OpenCRISPR, the company’s AI learned from massive scale sequence and biological context to generate millions of diverse CRISPR-like proteins that do not occur in nature, thereby exponentially expanding virtually all known CRISPR families.
Profluent has launched OpenCRISPR-1 as an initial open-source release, making the AI-designed gene editor freely available to license for ethical research and commercial uses.
“Attempting to edit human DNA with an AI-designed biological system was a scientific moonshot,” said Ali Madani, Profluent co-founder and CEO. “Our success points to a future where AI precisely designs what is needed to create a range of bespoke cures for disease. To spur innovation and democratization in gene editing, with the goal of pulling this future forward, we are open-sourcing the products of this initiative.”
Profluent’s hope is that CRISPR medicines become available to more patients who may benefit, and for a broader range of disorders. The company says that AI enables researchers to reimagine and build gene editing systems from the ground up, which would be impossible with conventional protein engineering methods.
The company adds that this could pave the way to greater access and lower costs for gene editing therapies.
“It’s phenomenal that the first CRISPR-based treatments for genetic diseases such as sickle cell disease are already changing the lives of patients, but there remains an urgent need to accelerate the development of this technology for thousands of other currently incurable diseases,” said Hilary Eaton, chief business officer at Profluent. “Our intention with OpenCRISPR is to partner with cutting-edge research institutions and drug developers with a powerful and practical way to safely expedite the development of new CRISPR genetic therapies.”
