A team from the University of Washington, led by Nobel laureate David Baker, has made a breakthrough in enzyme design using artificial intelligence. The researchers created enzymes from scratch that can transform molecules and accelerate chemical reactions under mild conditions.
Enzymes are proteins that play a crucial role in life, transforming molecules and speeding up chemical reactions. They’re already being used in drug production and industrial processes. The new tools for enzyme creation could unlock wide-ranging applications.
The team’s approach is different from the traditional method of creating enzymes by stitching together existing protein components. Instead, they use AI programs to design bespoke proteins that perfectly match the molecules they need to interact with.
The researchers focused on a well-studied enzyme called serine hydrolase and used a combination of AI tools, including RFdiffusion model and PLACER, to identify promising de novo enzyme candidates. They tested the performance of machine-created enzymes, which outperformed traditional ones.
This accomplishment is a milestone in enzyme design, proving that researchers can create new enzymes for human-driven tasks that could outperform nature’s production. The team aims to apply this technology to tackle environmental challenges, such as degrading plastic waste.
The researchers are hopeful that their work will lead to more successful enzyme design projects, yielding functional enzymes at the end of these endeavors.
Source: https://www.geekwire.com/2025/researchers-led-by-university-of-washington-nobel-winner-achieve-a-scientific-breakthrough