The DeepMind AlphaFold algorithm of the AI lab has predicted the structures of more than 200 million proteins. Almost all compounds known to science are found in plants, bacteria, and animals.
According to the developers, thanks to the open-source AlphaFold code, scientists worldwide can use it in their research. In July 2021, the algorithm was deciphering 350,000 3D structures. Since then, thousands of scientists have used the system, DeepMind said.
“More than 500,000 researchers and biologists have used the database to view more than 2 million structures. And these predictive structures have helped scientists make brilliant new discoveries,” said DeepMind Founder and CEO Demis Hassabis.
For example, in April 2022, Yale scientists used the AlphaFold database to develop a new, highly effective malaria vaccine. In July 2021, researchers at the University of Portsmouth turned to the system to create enzymes that would fight single-use plastic pollution.
“This has moved us forward a year, if not two,” said John McGeehan, director of the Portsmouth Enzyme Innovation Center.
DeepMind also reported that over the past year, scientists have published over 1,000 papers using AlphaFold. In the future, the researchers plan to use the algorithm to create drugs for little-studied but widespread tropical diseases like leishmaniasis.
Recall that in July 2021, DeepMind introduced the AlphaFold algorithm, which modeled 20,000 human protein structures. The developers have opened access to the program for researchers from all over the world.
In November, Alphabet founded Isomorphic Laboratories, a company that uses artificial intelligence to find new types of drugs.
