OpenAI, biotech firm PerturbAI and Scripps Research used GPT-Rosalind to analyze data from millions of mouse brain cells in 32 minutes. The task was estimated to take human researchers months to a year.
The team deployed thousands of AI agents in an approach called distributed biological reasoning. Each agent examined how specific gene disruptions affect different brain cells, cross-referenced findings with scientific literature and proposed explanations.
The system replicated existing findings from human-led research and identified new research leads. One was a potential link between the gene DCTN1 and cholesterol distribution in neurons, which could be relevant to neurodegenerative diseases.
The team has made the resulting reasoning atlas publicly available.