Anthropic says Claude AI uncovers novel enzyme system in DNA database analysis

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has said its Claude model played a central role in discovering a previously unknown enzyme system, marking a notable moment in the use of AI for biological research.

Claude analysed large DNA databases and identified an unusual system built around a reverse transcriptase, an enzyme capable of copying RNA into DNA. The find is described as novel, suggesting the system had not been characterised by researchers before.

Reverse transcriptases are of significant scientific interest given their role in genetics and their relevance to medicine. The discovery points to a growing application of large language models beyond text, extending into the analysis of complex biological datasets at a scale difficult for human researchers alone to manage.