Recent Grok-y headlines have been upsetting, so here’s some good AI news.
What happened: AI biotech startup Basecamp Research unveiled what it claims to be the first AI models capable of programmable gene insertion, trained in collaboration with Nvidia. The models, powered by a platform called Eden, could dramatically advance gene therapy.
Gene therapy is the practice of modifying a person’s genes to target a disease, and gene insertion is a specific method where new genes are added to address defects.
How it works: Current DNA insertion techniques to treat diseases can only make small edits and do damage to DNA sequences. Eden, trained on the world's largest biological database, can make more precise edits, promising more predictable and personalized treatments.
Why it matters: We’ve heard a lot of fanfare about AI’s vast potential for curing diseases, but Basecamp’s Eden models are an actual concrete example of a treatment so precise that it could only be achieved through AI.
Yes, but: As with any medical breakthrough, this has to be taken with a grain of salt. Especially since it involves genetic engineering — a field that’s been criticized for putting the cart before the horse, with a hyperfocus on making new tools rather than actual medicine.
Of note: Basecamp’s chief scientist John Finn previously headed Tome, which Finn claimed would create “the final chapter in genomic medicine” — it folded last year.
Our take: As the AI industry embarks on its year of practicality (and tries to shake off bad press), we expect to see more medical tie-ups. Just look at Nvidia, which also announced a joint US$1 billion investment in a drug discovery lab with Eli Lilly yesterday.—QH