AlphaFold3: AI-led technology for Predicting Human Molecules’ Behaviour

Context

A more powerful version of AlphaFold was unveiled recently.

AlphaFold

AlphaFold is an artificial intelligence technology that helps scientists understand the behavior of the microscopic mechanisms that drive the cells in the human body.

  • Solution to Protein Folding Problem: An early version of AlphaFold, released in 2020, successfully solved the “the protein folding problem.”
    • Biologists spent decades trying to determine the precise shape of individual proteins. AlphaFold was fed with a string of amino acids that make up a protein and it could predict the three-dimensional shape within minutes. 
  • AlphaFold Revolutionizing Biomedical Research: After its release, biologists began using it to accelerate drug discovery, find remedies for malaria and Parkinson’s disease, understand the coronavirus, and prepare for similar pandemics. 

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Proteins: Proteins are the microscopic molecules that drive the behavior of all living things. 

These molecules begin as strings of chemical compounds before twisting and folding into three-dimensional shapes that define how they interact with other microscopic mechanisms in the body.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid): It is a molecule that carries the genetic instructions necessary for the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms.

  •  It is a long, double-stranded helical structure made up of repeating units called nucleotides.

Ribonucleic acid (abbreviated RNA): It is a nucleic acid present in all living cells that has structural similarities to DNA. 

  • It contains the following nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, uracil, and cytosine.

AlphaFold3

It is the new version of AlphaFold which extends the technology beyond protein folding. 

  • Significance: It can predict the behaviour of other microscopic biological mechanisms, including DNA, where the body stores genetic information, and RNA, which transfers information from DNA to proteins.
    • It will potentially help to streamline the creation of new drugs and vaccines.
Also Read: AI Could Kill India’s Call Centres In India Soon

 

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