Claude Science 从零设计针对蝎毒神经毒素的蛋白质结合体
Claude Science tackles deadly scorpion stings by designing protein binders from scratch
Anthropic 的 Claude 在 Claude Science 中设计了针对蝎毒神经毒素的蛋白质结合体，目标毒素来自4种蝎子，共生成318,484个设计。研究团队从中选出并测试211个设计，17个达到结合标准；其中两个与墨西哥蝎毒素 Cn2 结合最强。实验室测试显示，它们可能结合在已知可在小鼠中中和 Cn2 的抗体所在或邻近位点，但尚未测试其是否能作为抗蛇毒药物发挥作用。
研究呈现了从大规模候选设计到实验筛选的完整链条，17个候选物达到结合标准，也明确区分了实验室结合结果与尚未测试的抗蛇毒效果。
Anthropic's Claude largely autonomously designed protein binders targeting scorpion neurotoxins, which kill more than 3,250 people every year. These small protein molecules are shaped to latch onto a specific target molecule. Claude generated 318,484 designs for such protein binders targeting five toxins from four scorpion species. After an initial prompt, Claude worked on its own for 24 hours. The research team then steered the work with additional instructions.
Claude picked 180 candidates, and the team added 31 more. Of the 211 designs tested in the lab, 17 met the criteria for a binder. The two strongest bound extremely tightly to Cn2, a toxin from the Mexican scorpion. Lab tests suggest they dock at or near the same site as an antibody known to neutralize Cn2 in mice. Whether they actually work as an antivenom hasn't been tested yet.
External experts Susana Vázquez Torres and Timothy P. Jenkins called the work a promising first step. Two independent labs confirmed the results. Claude worked inside Claude Science, Anthropic's AI environment for researchers. In an earlier study, Claude had already designed mini-binders against 14 of 15 target proteins, with hit rates of 22 to 35 percent compared to the typical 10 to 15 percent.
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来源：The Decoder · the-decoder.com