Scientists use AI to design antibodies 🧫 Removing HIV from cells 🔬

Overview of the Week 🌎

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Earthquake halts (=stops) Taiwan-based chip manufacturing.

A quantum computing breakthrough (=important development).

Samsung profit went up 931% last quarter.

Google is thinking of charging (=making people pay for) for AI-powered search.

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’A landmark moment’: scientists use AI to design antibodies from scratch 🧫

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Summary:

• Researchers have used a generative AI tool called RFdiffusion to make completely new antibodies for the first time.

• The tool is based on a neural network similar to those used by image-generating AIs such as Midjourney and DALL·E

• The proof of concept paves the way for the design of antibody drugs just by pressing a button.

antibody = antibodies are proteins that protect you when an unwanted substance enters your body
“If you lack antibodies, your immune system is weak”

proof of concept = evidence which demonstrates that a design concept or project etc is achievable
“I will produce a proof of concept for the client, this will show them that the software project is possible”

pave the way = to make it possible or easier for something or someone to follow
“Data from the space flight should pave the way for a more detailed exploration of Mars”

Scientists say they can cut HIV out of cells 🔬

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Summary:

• Scientists from the University of Amsterdam claim they have successfully eliminated HIV from infected cells using CRISPR gene-editing technology.

• CRISPR works like scissors, but at the molecular level.

• The work remains will not become a cure for the disease any time soon, as it is in the early stages. The study's findings are still being scrutinised.

eliminate = to remove or take away someone or something
“If you eat healthy food, you can eliminate the risk of heart disease”

molecular = relating to or consisting of molecules, which are a group of atoms bonded together
“Chemical reactions happen at a molecular level”

scrutinise = examine or inspect closely and thoroughly
“He scrutinised the men's faces closely, trying to work out who was lying”

Vocabulary of the Week 📚

And finally...