🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

This partnership goes after the “holy grail” of gene editing

• The work centers on AI-designed proteins called recombinases. They can insert long, kilobase-scale stretches of DNA at set spots in a cell’s genome 1.
• The goal is to move past tools such as CRISPR/Cas9, which usually make smaller changes in tighter areas 1.
• Kilobase-scale DNA editing is a “holy grail” in genetic medicine, said Ali Madani, CEO of Profluent 2.
• The agreement fits Eli Lilly’s broader push in this field. In January, the company signed a separate US$1.12 billion collaboration with Seamless Therapeutics to build recombinase-based treatments for hearing loss 2.

AI-designed proteins are moving from theory into an open-source playbook

• Profluent is moving from finding natural proteins to building new ones with AI. The startup calls this approach “programmable biology” 1.
• The Lilly deal covers proprietary gene editors. Profluent also released OpenCRISPR-1, which it calls the world’s first open-source, AI-generated gene editor. It is available to license for ethical research and commercial use 3.
• In human cell tests, OpenCRISPR-1 reached editing efficiency similar to SpCas9, a commonly used CRISPR enzyme. It also cut unintended edits elsewhere in the genome by 95% 4.
• This mix widens access to Profluent’s platform through open source while leaving room for custom commercial partnerships 3.