Researchers used AI-based protein design tools to engineer custom proteases by replacing the structural scaffold of two natural protease types while retaining their catalytic cores. The engineered enzymes were demonstrated to selectively cleave proteins associated with neurological diseases, opening new possibilities for targeted protein degradation therapies.
Background
AI-driven protein design has emerged as a transformative tool in structural biology, with systems like AlphaFold and RFdiffusion enabling de novo enzyme engineering that was previously impossible.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026 at 01:10 AM
- Score
- 8.0 / 10