Anthropic says Claude AI helped discover novel enzyme system - Reuters

Claude app icon in this illustration taken June 5, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab Sept 23 (Reuters) - Anthropic on Wednesday said its Claude model helped discover a novel enzyme ​system with properties reminiscent of mechanisms ‌in gene-editing technology CRISPR, marking the first result from the AI startup's biology research ​efforts. The finding comes days after Reuters ​reported Anthropic had quietly established a wet ⁠lab in the San Francisco Bay ​Area, as the company expands its ambitions ​in life sciences and drug-related research beyond purely computer-based work. Sign up here. Anthropic said Claude analyzed large DNA ​databases and found an unusual system ​built around a reverse transcriptase (RT), an enzyme that copies ‌RNA ⁠into DNA. Anthropic has named the system array-associated reverse transcriptases, or ART. ART contains repeating DNA sequences that resemble patterns seen ​in CRISPR, ​Anthropic said. The ⁠company noted that while the underlying RT had been identified ​in previous studies, Claude appeared ​to ⁠be the first to recognize key features of the broader system, including an ⁠array ​of non-coding DNA sequences ​and an additional protein of unknown function. Reporting by Aatreyee ​Dasgupta in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab X Facebook Linkedin Email Link Purchase Licensing Rights Read Next ago Legal category FDA nominee Overton says all US vaccines safe as senators press on shots, abortion, vaping ago Legal category Roche, Atavistik Bio sign drug-discovery deal worth up to $2 billion ago Litigation category China's InnoCare, Eli Lilly sign collaboration deal worth up to $3.35 billion ago Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals category Merck's drug for diabetes-related eye disease meets trial goal ago Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals category US eases screwworm ban on Mexican cattle, but beef prices unlikely to budge ago Malaysia's IHH's unit appeals Tokyo court's rejection of Daiichi Sankyo damages claim