AlphaGenome: a New AI Tool to Understand DNA

Imagine you have a long string of DNA code, a million letters long. A new AI tool called AlphaGenome reads that code and predicts exactly what it does. It tells you how active genes are, how DNA folds open or closed, where proteins stick to it, and even how far-apart parts of DNA touch each other. It does all this with pinpoint accuracy, down to single letters of DNA.

Before AlphaGenome, AI tools for DNA were like looking through a keyhole. They could only see tiny bits of code or gave blurry answers. AlphaGenome sees the big picture, a full million letters, and still gives sharp details.

Why does this matter? Most DNA changes in diseases like cancer don’t touch the protein-making parts. They mess with the control switches nearby. These “silent” changes turn genes on or off wrong, fueling tumors. AlphaGenome spots them fast. It explains how a tiny tweak in DNA can boost a cancer gene or silence one that fights cancer.

Take leukemia, for example. Some kids get it from DNA flips near a gene called TAL1. AlphaGenome predicts these flips make DNA more open, pull in proteins, and crank up TAL1 way too high. It shows the full chain: DNA change to open chromatin to more gene output. This helps doctors understand why the cancer grows and think about drugs to block it.
​
The tool shines on tricky jobs like predicting how DNA changes mess with splicing, the way cells cut and paste gene pieces. Wrong splicing causes many diseases. AlphaGenome nails this better than specialists. It also links far-away DNA switches to the right genes, solving puzzles from big cancer studies.

Source.