A revolution in biology and drug discovery was predicted yesterday after scientists designed a program that can visualise the structure of proteins, unlocking a window into the machinery of life. A British artificial intelligence company has shown that it can compute the shapes that proteins fold into, solving a 50-year problem in biology. The discovery by Deepmind was hailed by other scientists as a “stunning” achievement and a “once-in-a-generation advance”. The exquisite shapes that they form enable them to perform roles that include speeding up reactions and, in viruses, hijacking cells. Understanding the shape they make is key to drug discovery and combating disease.

Source: The Times November 30, 2020 17:01 UTC