AI Meets DNA
Will artificial intelligence be used for human gene editing? Here are current examples of AI in genetics and the top companies making advancements.
Photo Credit: AZO Life Sciences
What will happen when AI has access to our very DNA?
Since the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI in late 2022, the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) applications has been a defining moment spurring both great excitement and great fear about the capabilities of these technologies. However, there has been little conversation about what happens when AI has access to data, such as our genetics, that affect human life deeper than superficial words and pictures. In fact, the boom of current AI harkens to the initial explosion of genetic engineering, which has revolutionized modern medicine.
Can current developments in AI further enrich the capabilities of genetic engineering? What does the fusion of AI and genetics mean for you and me?
Current examples of AI in genetics:
As you may (or may not) be relieved to hear, there are currently no companies directly using artificial intelligence to target genes for engineering. However, AI is being coupled with genetics for several purposes, mainly around medical diagnostics (with companies like Tempus Labs and GRAIL), pharmaceutical targeting (as seen by Vertex and Deep Genomics), and other applications like making humans immortal and supercharging GMOs.
Here are my top five favorite companies using AI for genetics, what they are doing and what they could be doing to progress genetic engineering with AI.
1. Tempus Labs
Tempus is the frontrunner in the genetics-AI field. Sitting on more than 100 Petabytes of data (equivalent to storing 11,415 years’ worth of YouTube videos), Tempus has been expanding both its genetic testing and AI for uses in cancer, psychiatric disorders, drug targeting and more.
As a “data first” company, Tempus is overcoming the greatest challenge of AI in medicine (having enough data) by forging robust connections with the largest health record companies. If there is a company that could push the bounds of genetic engineering with AI, Tempus is the first contender with its genetic and AI prowess backed by mountains of valuable data.
2. Moderna
Moderna has become a household name due to the company’s effective mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Riding this train of innovation, Moderna recently announced a partnership with IBM to use AI for better development of mRNA therapies. DNA is translated into mRNA, and therefore, being able to use genetics AI to craft mRNA for better targeting greatly expedites the time it would take to bring an mRNA drug to market (imagine how much shorter the covid lockdown would have been).
Foreseeing Moderna pivot to genetically modifying humans would be a stretch. However, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to envision Moderna using this new partnership to correlate human genes with effective mRNA therapies to advance personalized medicine.
3. Calico Labs
If you ever wanted to live as long as Superman, you just may get your wish. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has started Calico Labs, a company focused on using AI to better understand how people age and what we can do to mitigate age-related diseases. I’m all for not getting arthritis when I’m older, but Calico Labs’ rival company, Altos labs, which is backed by Jeff Bezos, makes me wonder if these companies will serve all of humankind or just the richest of humankind.
I could foresee Calico and Altos taking their genetic AI to the next level by targeting genes to be engineered for longer life, but will ethics be the kryptonite for these superhuman companies?
4. Inari
Unless you’re a granola munching hippie (such as yours truly), you probably don’t talk about GMOs all that much. But the fact is, most of the produce (and almost all of the meat) we eat is a direct product of genetic engineering.
Inari is a company that understands this fact deeply and strives to make more advancements in food by using AI to genetically modify seeds to grow bigger, better, abundant food. The agricultural area of genetics is often overlooked, and I hope to see Inari push the nutritional limits of food production with AI. In the future, Inari might also work with genetically modifying microbes to help food grow and rejuvenate our soils.
5. Health2047
Alright, Health 2047 isn’t actually a corporation, but it is the American Medical Association’s (AMA) venture firm. If we want to start seeing AI being used for genetic engineering, money needs to be invested and regulations need to be loosened around human genetic data.
Health2047 is uniquely positioned to back startups using AI in genetics and to influence the AMA’s policies regarding data protection, but they don’t have to do it alone. Firms such as ARCH Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Third Rock Ventures and OrbiMed Advisors can help the process by backing genetic AI startups as well. All I want to see is more money fueling this currently under-appreciated realm of AI.
Takeaways
There are no companies using AI to genetically engineer humans, but there are a lot of companies using AI to leverage insights from genetics, such as medical testing, drug targeting and potentially living longer. However, there are a few companies using AI to genetically engineer organisms, such as plants, but this market is severely untapped along with genetically modifying microbes (maybe for carbon reduction and waste clean up).
When might we see AI for genetically engineering humans? That depends on if the public stops being afraid of Gattaca, if regulating bodies loosen the chokehold of HIPAA on genetic data, and if large companies start to throw their weight in congress. Therefore, I am dubious as to ever seeing human gene editing by AI in my lifetime - not because the technology isn’t there, but because we aren’t there. Perhaps for the best.
In the comments below, I want to hear your thoughts on if we should use AI for genetically engineering humans and what other types of genetic AI companies you would like to see. Thanks for reading!
Best,
Aidan for the Don’t Count Us Out Yet Team
Great article, hopeful and frightening at the same time, depending on who controls genetic AI and what their motivations are. Bezos has demonstrated over and over that money trumps altruism.