Until last year, one of the grand challenges in modern biology is to predict the 3D structure of proteins given their amino acid sequence. Then Google’s Deepmind division unveiled AlphaFold, an AI program that has essentially solved the protein folding problem. Deepmind has since used its machine to calculate the structure of all human proteins (and those from 20 other organisms), making the results openly available on the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database.
That’s exciting news not least because of its potential in drug development. A key factor in the way proteins work is their three-dimensional structure, which determines how they fit together with other proteins in the body, like jigsaw pieces. Drugs often work in a similar way, latching onto the shape of specific parts of a protein, like a key fitting a lock.
