Design DNA fragments that control genes in mammalian cells with AI
A team from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in Barcelona has developed an artificial intelligence tool capable of designing regulatory sequences for genes that do not exist in nature. When introduced into cells, these enhancers can increase or decrease gene activity in a specific way depending on the type of cell targeted. According to the authors, ‘the potential applications are enormous. It's like writing software, but for biology.’ The results are published in the journal Cell.