{
  "id": 14522878,
  "title": "Researchers use AI to design proteins that cut up other proteins",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/researchers-use-ai-to-design-proteins-that-cut-up-other-proteins-14522878",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-14T17:10:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ars Technica",
    "slug": "ars-technica",
    "url": "https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/researchers-use-ai-to-design-proteins-that-cut-up-other-proteins/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Proteins, long chains of amino acids bonded by peptide bonds, are short-lived in Earth's environment, often being broken down by specialized protease enzymes. Researchers have now used AI-based protein design tools to design new enzymes that can cut proteins more efficiently. By replacing the entire rest of the protein but keeping the catalytic core of two types of protease, the researchers created new enzymes capable of cutting specific proteins in half. These enzymes were tested and found to be effective in cutting proteins associated with neurological diseases.",
  "summary": "AI design tools make proteins that break bonds that are stable for hundreds of years.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ars Technica Science",
        "title": "Researchers use AI to design proteins that cut up other proteins",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/researchers-use-ai-to-design-proteins-that-cut-up-other-proteins",
        "published": "2026-10-14T17:10:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}