Australian scientists have developed a new system that uses “biological artificial intelligence” to design and evolve molecules with new or improved functions in mammal cells. The system, named PROTEUS (PROTein Evolution Using Selection), harnesses the power of “directed evolution”, a lab technique that mimics natural selection but accelerates it, allowing for creation of molecules with new functions in weeks.
This breakthrough could lead to the development of more effective medicines, including improved gene editing technologies like CRISPR. The system can be used to generate new molecules tailored to function in the human body, making new treatments possible that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to create.
PROTEUS works by giving a problem with an uncertain solution and using directed evolution to explore millions of possible sequences until it finds molecules with properties adapted to solve the problem. The researchers have already used PROTEUS to develop improved versions of proteins that can be regulated by drugs and nanobodies that can detect DNA damage, an important process driving cancer.
The system has been validated and is open-source for the research community to adopt and build upon. Scientists hope to use PROTEUS to enhance gene-editing technologies or fine-tune mRNA medicines for more potent and specific effects.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-scientists-biological-artificial-intelligence.html