Anthropic’s Claude AI discovered a previously unknown enzyme system in bacterial DNA called array-associated reverse transcriptase (ART). The system resembles the CRISPR gene-editing tool and features structures that can cut, copy, and paste DNA. Claude identified the ART system after searching a massive DNA sequence database for 21 hours.
This discovery marks the first major output from Anthropic’s new life sciences research lab. While the findings are not yet peer-reviewed, researchers are currently conducting experiments to determine the system's precise biological function.
Stock prices for gene-editing companies CRISPR Therapeutics, Beam Therapeutics, and Prime Medicine fell following the announcement. The event highlights the growing potential for AI to accelerate biological discovery and disrupt the biotech sector.