An artificial intelligence (AI) network developed by Google AI offshoot DeepMind has made a gargantuan leap in solving one of biology\u2019s grandest challenges \u2014 determining a protein\u2019s 3D shape from its amino-acid sequence.<\/p>\n
DeepMind\u2019s program, called AlphaFold, outperformed around 100 other teams in a biennial protein-structure prediction challenge called CASP, short for Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction. The results were announced on 30 November, at the start of the conference \u2014 held virtually this year \u2014 that takes stock of the exercise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a big deal,\u201d says John Moult, a computational biologist at the University of Maryland in College Park, who co-founded CASP in 1994 to improve computational methods for accurately predicting protein structures. \u201cIn some sense the problem is solved.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ability to accurately predict protein structures from their amino-acid sequence would be a huge boon to life sciences and medicine. It would vastly accelerate efforts to understand the building blocks of cells and enable quicker and more advanced drug discovery.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n An artificial intelligence network developed by Google AI offshoot DeepMind has made a gargantuan leap in solving one of biology\u2019s grandest challenges \u2014 determining a protein\u2019s 3D shape from its amino-acid sequence. https:\/\/t.co\/tzWgwIgRNt<\/a><\/p>\n — Nature (@nature) December 1, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n