De novo protein design-From new structures to programmable functions. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38306980/)

These scientists have been using a special kind of computer program called artificial intelligence (AI) to make brand new proteins. Proteins are tiny molecules that are really important for our bodies to work properly. Normally, scientists study proteins that already exist in nature, but these scientists wanted to create proteins that have never been seen before!

To do this, they used a big database of information about how proteins are made and what they look like. The AI program learned from all this information and then used it to "write" new proteins with different shapes and functions. It's like the AI program is a really smart scientist that can come up with new ideas for proteins.

The scientists were able to design proteins that have never been seen before and they even made them in the lab! They were really successful in creating proteins with different shapes and structures. They also solved some difficult problems, like making proteins that can fit together perfectly with other molecules in our bodies.

Now, the scientists are trying to use these new proteins to understand how our cells work. They want to take apart the different functions of cells and see how they can be put back together using these new proteins. They are also trying to make artificial cells that can do specific jobs by using these proteins.

But even though they have made a lot of progress, there are still many things that these scientists don't know. They are working hard to improve their methods and solve more challenges in the future.

Kortemme T. De novo protein design-From new structures to programmable functions. Cell. 2024 Feb 1;187(3):526-544. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.028.