Google DeepMinds New AI Just Did in Minutes What Took Scientists Years

1 year ago

Google DeepMinds new AI is revolutionizing the field of protein design by creating proteins that can potentialy cure disease like cancer, COVID-19 in a fraction of the time takes traditional methods,this AI model called Alpha proteo

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00:00What if AI could not only predict how proteins interact, but actually create new ones to

00:07fight diseases like C-19 or cancer?

00:09In this video, we're exploring two groundbreaking AI models, Alpha, Proteo, and Orb, that are

00:14reshaping everything from drug discovery to material science.

00:18And before we get started, take a second to subscribe and stay ahead of the curve on all

00:22the latest AI trends and updates.

00:24Alright, you know how proteins are like the workhorses of our bodies, right?

00:28They do everything from helping our cells grow to keeping our immune systems running

00:32smoothly.

00:33And of course, they're at the core of pretty much every biological process.

00:37But here's the catch.

00:39These proteins don't just do their jobs in isolation, they interact with other proteins.

00:45Think of it like a key fitting into a lock.

00:47One protein binds to another, and that's how all these critical functions happen inside

00:52our cells.

00:53Now, thanks to things like AlphaFold, we already have a pretty solid understanding of how proteins

00:58interact.

00:59AlphaFold helps us predict what these interactions look like, which has been huge for science.

01:03But here's the kicker.

01:04While AlphaFold is awesome at figuring out how proteins connect, it doesn't create

01:09new proteins that could manipulate or influence these interactions.

01:13And that's where the real magic comes in, guys.

01:16Enter AlphaProteo by Google DeepMind.

01:18This is the new AI system we're talking about today.

01:21It doesn't just predict interactions, it designs entirely new proteins that can bind

01:26to specific target molecules.

01:28And why is that important?

01:30Well, these designed proteins, also called binders, can speed up all sorts of research,

01:36from drug discovery to figuring out how diseases work, to making crops more resistant to pests.

01:41Now let's break this down.

01:42When you want to create a protein that binds tightly to a target, like, say, a virus protein

01:47that causes C19, it's not easy.

01:51Traditional methods are super slow.

01:52You have to create binders in the lab, test them, optimize them, then test them again.

01:58It's like an endless cycle of trial and error, which, as you can guess, takes forever.

02:03But with AlphaProteo, we're talking about a major shortcut.

02:06This AI system has been trained on a ton of protein data.

02:10We're talking about data from the Protein Data Bank and more than 100 million predicted

02:15structures from AlphaFold.

02:16So yeah, it's learned a thing or two about how proteins interact.

02:20Now, if you give AlphaProteo the structure of a target protein and tell it where you

02:24want the protein to bind, it can design a binder protein that fits that target almost

02:29perfectly.

02:30That's like handing it the blueprint for a lock and having it design the perfect key.

02:36And it works on all kinds of proteins, cancer-related proteins, proteins from viruses like SARS-CoV-2,

02:42yes, the one involved in the lockdown era, the C19, and even proteins tied to autoimmune

02:49diseases.

02:50So far, the results are pretty mind-blowing.

02:51In fact, AlphaProteo generated binders for seven different target proteins.

02:57And here's the kicker.

02:58They tested these proteins in the lab, and the AI-designed binders worked like a charm.

03:02I'm talking about 300 times better binding strengths than the best existing methods.

03:08Insane, right?

03:09For example, let's take VGFA, which is a protein linked to cancer and diabetes complications.

03:16For the first time ever, an AI system, AlphaProteo, designed a protein binder that successfully

03:22binds to VGFA.

03:24That alone is a huge milestone, and it's not just one-off successes.

03:28Let's take another protein, BHRF1, which is a viral protein.

03:32In the lab, 88% of AlphaProteo's candidate binders actually bound to BHRF1 successfully.

03:38And get this, AlphaProteo's binders, on average, are binding 10 times stronger than

03:43any of the current best designs.

03:46Now, one of the most hyped targets was the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

03:51The very same spike that helps the virus get into our cells.

03:54And yeah, AlphaProteo nailed it.

03:57Not only did it design binders for this spike protein, but those binders were tested by

04:01some top research groups, like the Francis Crick Institute, and they confirmed the binders

04:06were legit.

04:07These binders even managed to block the virus, and some of its variants, from infecting cells.

04:13So we're looking at something that could potentially help in virus prevention.

04:17Now, obviously, this tech isn't perfect yet.

04:19For example, AlphaProteo couldn't design a successful binder for TNFA, which is a protein

04:26associated with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

04:30But to be fair, TNFA is known to be a beast in terms of difficulty.

04:34The team picked it on purpose to test the limits of the system.

04:37So it's not all bad news.

04:39In fact, it's a sign that they're pushing the system to improve.

04:42And while strong binding is critical, it's just the first step in using these proteins

04:46for real-world applications, like drug design.

04:49There's still a ton of bioengineering work to do, but AlphaProteo has already knocked

04:53out one of the toughest parts.

04:55Now the team behind AlphaProteo is working with scientists across the world to make this

05:00system even better.

05:02And they're thinking responsibly about biosecurity.

05:06That means making sure this powerful tech is used for good, like developing treatments

05:10and cleaning the environment rather than, you know, any shady stuff.

05:13And if you're wondering where this is going, well, they've already teamed up with groups

05:17like the Nuclear Threat Initiative to set up best practices.

05:20So the tech is evolving, but with caution, which is honestly a relief.

05:26Looking ahead, they're also exploring drug design applications with a company called

05:29Isomorphic Labs, and they're actively working on improving the algorithms to make the system

05:35even stronger and more versatile.

05:37And they're not just doing this in a vacuum.

05:39They're collaborating with experts in machine learning, biochemistry, and structural biology.

05:43So the future of protein design, yeah, it's looking pretty exciting.

05:47All right, now there is another thing I'm seriously hyped about, and it's actually a

05:50massive breakthrough in AI and material science.

05:53We're talking about Orb, the latest and greatest AI model for simulating advanced materials.

05:59It's open source, it's blazing fast, and it's leaving big names like Google and Microsoft

06:03in the dust.

06:05If you're into AI, energy, or just cutting edge tech, you're going to love this.

06:09So let me break it down for you.

06:11Imagine you're a scientist working on materials for, say, better batteries or solar panels,

06:15things that are crucial for the energy transition, right?

06:18Well, here's the thing.

06:20To design these super efficient materials, you need to know exactly what's happening

06:24at the atomic level.

06:26We're talking about how atoms and molecules are interacting, what makes certain materials

06:30conduct energy better, or how you can tweak them to be more efficient.

06:35And this is the tricky part.

06:37Actually seeing or simulating what's happening inside these materials is insanely hard.

06:41Traditional methods for simulating this stuff, they're slow, costly, and often involve simplifying

06:48things so much that you're not even getting an accurate picture.

06:51It's like trying to watch a 4K movie on dial-up internet.

06:55It's just not happening.

06:56And that's where AI comes in, giving us a new way to look at these materials with way

07:01more detail without waiting forever.

07:04This brings us to Orb, the model we're talking about today.

07:07Built by a company called Orbital, Orb is designed to simulate materials at the atomic

07:12level faster and more accurately than anything else out there right now.

07:17And get this, it's based on a bigger AI model they've been working on internally called

07:21Linus.

07:22So basically they've been fine-tuning this thing for a while now, and it's paying off

07:25in a huge way.

07:27Now Orb isn't just faster than the competition, it's five times faster than the best alternatives

07:32for large-scale simulations.

07:34That's a huge leap forward.

07:35And we're not just talking about beating random models either.

07:38Orb is outperforming Google's and Microsoft's models when it comes to accuracy and speed.

07:43And here's where things get even more exciting, they've open-sourced it.

07:47Yup, it's free for non-commercial uses and startups, so anyone looking to develop new

07:51materials can jump in and use this tech.

07:54You can even go to their GitHub right now and check out the full technical breakdown.

07:59Now let me pause here for a second to explain why this is so important.

08:03We're in the middle of a massive shift toward renewable energy, and materials are at the

08:07heart of that.

08:08Whether it's batteries for electric cars, solar panels for homes, or semiconductors

08:12for basically all of our tech, the materials we use need to get better, more efficient,

08:18longer-lasting, you name it.

08:20And the faster we can simulate and design these materials, the faster we can make them

08:24a reality.

08:26Orb is a tool that's going to accelerate that process in a big way.

08:30Now if you're wondering how Orb came to be, it all ties back to this foundation model

08:34I mentioned earlier, Linus.

08:37The team at Orbital has been training and refining Linus from the ground up.

08:41Orb is like Linus on steroids, specifically fine-tuned for advanced material simulations.

08:47They've got a whole blog explaining the key elements if you want to dive into the technical

08:51side, and they've got even more info coming soon.

08:54So yeah, this isn't some random new AI model, it's been a long time coming, and can we just

08:59take a second to appreciate the team behind this?

09:02This isn't some massive tech giant with endless resources, we're talking about a small, tight-knit

09:06group that's competing with the biggest names in AI, Google, Microsoft, and so on.

09:11It's proof that even in an era where it seems like only the giants can make big moves, a

09:16scrappy, motivated startup can still come out on top.

09:19So there you have it.

09:21Orb, the fastest and most accurate AI model for advanced material simulations is out there,

09:25and it's free to use for non-commercial purposes.

09:28I can't wait to see where this goes.

09:30As always, drop your thoughts in the comments.

09:32Are you as excited about this as I am?

09:35Smash that like button, and don't forget to subscribe for more deep dives into AI and

09:40tech.

09:41Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.

Google DeepMinds New AI Just Did in Minutes What Took Scientists Years

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