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The initiative by Salesforce called ProGen aimed to utilize generative AI to design proteins, potentially revolutionizing medical treatments by uncovering them more cost-effectively than traditional methods. While ProGen resulted in research showing successful creation of artificial protein structures, it didn’t progress much commercially.

Ali Madani, a researcher involved in ProGen, has now founded a company called Profluent with the goal of bringing similar protein-generating technology to pharmaceutical companies. Profluent seeks to “reverse the drug development paradigm” by starting with patient and therapeutic needs and then creating customized treatment solutions using AI-designed proteins.

Proteins, consisting of chains of amino acids, play vital roles in various bodily functions and can be likened to words in a language. Using generative AI, data about proteins can be leveraged to predict entirely new proteins with novel functions. Profluent aims to extend this concept to gene editing, recognizing that many genetic diseases cannot be addressed by natural proteins or existing gene editing systems.

Profluent’s approach involves optimizing multiple attributes simultaneously to create custom-designed gene editors tailored to each patient. This strategy aims to overcome functional tradeoffs that limit the effectiveness of existing gene editing techniques.

While Profluent’s focus on using generative AI for protein design and gene editing is not unique, it represents a promising application of AI technology in the field of medicine and drug development. Other companies and research groups have also explored similar approaches with success, indicating the potential for innovation and advancement in this area.