Crafting Existence through Generative Artificial Intelligence
It's ludicrous to consider that you could simplify complex amino acid interactions and resulting proteins to the level of a game like Minecraft.
Fact is, most of us haven't considered how generative AI could be utilized in the field of life science. But a select few are working rigorously to figure it out.
Geoff von Maltzahn, based at Flagship Pioneering, is one of those folks. This venture capital firm specializes in cutting-edge life science and employs teams of scientists and entrepreneurs who invent revolutionary technologies like mRNA and innovative antibody therapeutics, as well as broader genomic projects. Flagship Pioneering has spawned companies such as Moderna Therapeutics, Seres Therapeutics, and Indigo Agriculture, to pioneer breakthroughs in areas where scientific advancements can address substantial challenges we humans face.
In a captivating TED talk, von Maltzahn lays out how this could all work.
He kicks off with an easy-to-understand explanation of protein folding, a process where individual proteins develop through an evolutionary process that biologists grasp fairly well, while the rest of us are somewhat clueless.
Protein Universe
What struck me as so brilliant about this talk was that von Maltzahn cleverly breaks down complex scientific concepts into words that many people can understand.
For instance, to illustrate how a protein structure evolves, he points out that each protein starts as a 'noodle' and folds itself into practical shapes.
“This is the equivalent of if your car, your refrigerator, your house, arrived as a noodle and folded itself into the form that you enjoy it in,” he says.
After explaining protein folding, he explains that new systems can generate models of proteins that fold in incredibly precise ways. Von Maltzahn discusses the prospect of achieving 'Shakespearean mastery' in protein writing.
His analogy comparing precision to archery neatly summarizes how generative AI models can significantly enhance existing therapeutic targets in inflammatory diseases, cancer, and more:
“It's kind of like Robin Hood splitting the first arrow by firing an arrow right down the center of it, 50 times in a row,” he says. “And the reason that it has the potential to be valuable is: every time an antibody shows it can provide a benefit to patients, humanity now has the ability to access the very best antibody [with this technology].”
To shed light on the best antibodies, he also delves into how their team employed generative AI to discover antibodies that can neutralize the Covid virus that caused the worldwide pandemic we all endured. He explains that this technology can create antibodies that target the portion of the virus that attaches to receptors and is involved in cell entry, providing the potential for longer-lasting protection from infection.
“This may be important to the next pandemic,” von Maltzahn says.
New Realms of Science
In addition, von Maltzahn talks about creating new enzymes and analyzing things like the 'SARS viruses’ 'tree of life' and how that will lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
“Maybe generative AI isn't just going to produce amusing cartoons and limericks to entertain ourselves and each other, and access knowledge that already exists within humanity,” he proposes. “It may just expand our access to new knowledge and new technologies in significant ways.”
Just how big will this be?
The unexplored realm of biology that von Maltzahn talks about is vast. He uses an analogy comparing it to the 'great age of exploration' with ships, stating that we have oceans of knowledge to discover.
“Even with generous assumptions about everything that Mother Nature has ever had the chance to build and test throughout the entire history of evolution, all of her lab has tested less than the expanse of one drop of water relative to all of the Earth's oceans of possible protein sequences,” he says. “Think about that for just a second. Everybody in this room, every protein that makes our lives possible, every one of our ancestors and everything else in the living world that has ever been, fits into that one drop of water. ... if everything we know is in that one drop of water, if we find one more drop of water, that'll be a really big deal. But there really isn't a reason to believe that it's going to be limited to that. Just imagine what could be.”
I've encountered a lot about AI over the past year, but this is something fairly extraordinary that really deserves careful consideration. We’re just beginning to comprehend how AI can create digital worlds that are lively, original, and engaging, and how it can mimic human thought. But being able to create like a god, using the building blocks of all life – well, that’s something else.
In the realm of media and science, Geoff von Maltzahn's TED talk showcases how generative AI could revolutionize life sciences, particularly in protein writing and antibody discovery. Moreover, big money is instrumental in this advancement, as Flagship Pioneering, a venture capital firm focusing on life science innovations, backs such projects.
