Evo AI Model
Syllabus: Science & Technology / Biotechnology (UPSC Prelims)
Source: DD News
Context:
Scientists at Stanford University, in collaboration with the Arc Institute, have developed an AI model called Evo that can design viruses to target harmful bacteria, opening new avenues in therapeutic research.
About Evo AI Model
What It Is:
- Evo is a foundation AI model for genomics, trained on microbial and viral genetic sequences.
- Functions like a “ChatGPT for DNA”, predicting, designing, and generating genetic code for synthetic biology applications.
- Developed by Stanford University and Arc Institute.
Aim & Purpose
- Design Therapeutic Viruses: Create bacteriophages to combat drug-resistant infections.
- Understand Mutations: Predict how DNA changes affect protein function and disease.
- Accelerate Innovation: Replace slow trial-and-error lab experiments with AI-driven design.
How It Works
- Training: Learned from 80,000 microbial genomes and millions of bacteriophage/plasmid sequences (~300 billion nucleotides).
- Pattern Recognition: Identifies gene interactions and predicts functional mutations.
- Generative Design: Creates novel viral blueprints, proteins (like Cas9 variants), and genome-scale constructs.
- Validation: AI-designed sequences are synthesized and tested in labs to confirm biological activity.
Key Features
- Extended Context Length: Understands long DNA sequences and complex gene interactions.
- Nucleotide-Level Resolution: High precision at individual base-pair level.
- Generative Capability: Proposes new protein variants and synthetic genomes.
- Faster R&D: Reduces decades of research to weeks, lowering cost and time.
- Open Research: Available for non-commercial academic research, promoting scientific collaboration.
