Artificial intelligence designs functional molecular scissors for specific protein targets
Scientists at the University of Washington used artificial intelligence tools to create working proteases that cut selected proteins on October 16, 2026.
New enzyme creation process
Researchers combined multiple advanced software programs to build enzymes from scratch. They first generated the three-dimensional shapes and core structures of the proteins using a specific AI tool. Next, they applied other programs to select the amino acid sequences required for the enzymes and their targets.
Testing digital protein models
The team repeated this design cycle dozens of times to find options that actually worked in practice. They then used a prediction tool to determine the final shape of these digital versions before physical creation. This approach represents a significant step forward because the resulting enzyme must recognize and cut a chosen sequence efficiently.
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