Significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and gene editing technologies are revolutionizing the ability to compose DNA and create bespoke proteins.
Initially, Frances Arnold, during her 2018 Nobel Prize lecture, noted that while scientists could read, write, and edit DNA, they could not compose it.
This has changed due to progress in AI, which now designs DNA sequences, and gene editing, allowing the creation of new proteins using genetically modified bacteria.
These technologies aim to modify bacteria to produce proteins that could mitigate greenhouse gases, digest plastics, or act as targeted pesticides. The article underscores the role of genetic materials, DNA, and RNA, in encoding information necessary for protein synthesis, which constitutes a major part of human biology.
The Human Genome Project, completed in 2003, sequenced the entire human genome, laying the groundwork for understanding genetic functions. Despite this achievement, the complexity of protein functions and their misfolding, which can cause diseases, remained a challenge. AI, particularly AlphaFold, has addressed this by predicting protein structures from nucleotide sequences, facilitating drug design by identifying protein binding sites.
CRISPR technology, awarded the Nobel Prize in 2020, has transformed gene editing by making it faster, cheaper, and more precise. The integration of AI and CRISPR is paving the way for designing new proteins and enzymes, potentially addressing environmental issues like carbon dioxide and methane reduction, and plastic degradation.
While these technological advancements hold immense potential, they also pose significant risks due to the complexity of natural systems and the possibility of unintended consequences. The successful application of these technologies requires careful management to avoid negative impacts.