Claude discovers a novel enzyme system with CRISPR-like repeats

Anthropic, a company specializing in life sciences research, has introduced a new research group and laboratory focused on exploring DNA datasets with the help of their AI model, Claude. The researchers aim to identify uncharacterized protein families, generate hypotheses at scale, and test them through experiments in a laboratory setting.

One of the initial results of this research is a novel enzyme system discovered by Claude, which exhibits properties similar to CRISPR. The system, referred to as array-associated reverse transcriptases (ART), is found in bacteriophages and is associated with an array of non-coding DNA sequences and an additional accessory protein of unknown function.

CRISPR, a revolutionary tool in biology and medicine, was discovered in bacteria as an unusual repeat sequence in the DNA. It now serves as the foundation for gene editing-based medicines. Other enzymes, such as restriction enzymes and Taq polymerase, have also played significant roles in advancing biotechnology and diagnostics.

When Claude was tasked with searching a massive database of DNA sequences for interesting new examples of reverse transcriptases, it spent 21 hours analyzing data using approximately 950 agents and 210 million tokens. One of the agents identified a repeating pattern of DNA sequences near the gene for an odd-looking reverse transcriptase, which was later recognized as the previously uncharacterized enzyme system, ART.

The researchers caution that the primary function of ARTs is still unknown but emphasize the importance of sharing this finding early to demonstrate Claude's capabilities and provide insight into the new approach Anthropic is taking in biological research. They have released a pre-print that delves deeper into the discovery.