Anthropic’s claim that Claude autonomously discovered a novel enzyme system is reportedly facing scrutiny after a computational biologist questioned the source of the discovery.
Mario Rodríguez Mestre said he and his colleagues had been studying the ART enzymes and related molecules for four years and had shared key findings with Anthropic while using its AI models. He questioned whether Claude independently reasoned its way to the discovery or was partly guided by information derived from his team’s unpublished research, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
Dr. Mestre first identified the enzymes in jumbo phages in 2022 while researching reverse transcriptases. He later briefly consulted for ReNegade Therapeutics, which filed a 2023 patent covering several reverse transcriptases, including those he discovered, with Mestre listed as a co-inventor, as per the report.
"So, for me, the most important question is not ‘Were ARTs already known?’ They were," he told the publication.
Anthropic did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
Claude’s CRISPR-Like Discovery
On Wednesday, Anthropic said Claude autonomously discovered a previously uncharacterized enzyme system in bacteriophages after analyzing a massive DNA database. Nearly 950 Claude agents processed 210 million tokens over 21 hours before one flagged an unusual repeating pattern for human review, with scientists providing initial guidance and conducting subsequent laboratory testing.
While the function of the enzyme system is still under investigation, Anthropic felt it was crucial to share these early findings to showcase Claude’s capabilities and provide insight into their ongoing work.
Anthropic said that Claude’s discovery of a novel enzyme system had properties resembling CRISPR, guided only at a high level by the company’s scientists. Feng Zhang, one of the pioneers of CRISPR genome editing, called the discovery “genuinely intriguing” and said that it merits further investigation.
Anthropic Expands Its Life Sciences Push
Anthropic believes AI can dramatically accelerate scientific discovery and healthcare innovation.
Earlier this month, the company established a physical wet lab in the San Francisco Bay Area, expanding its AI-driven life sciences research into hands-on experimentation. Life sciences leader Eric Kauderer-Abrams said real-world lab work remains essential for biology, while the company combines internal research with external collaborations. Anthropic clarified that the facility is not specifically focused on drug discovery.
In the same week, Anthropic announced a collaboration with Novo (NYSE:NVO) to accelerate the development of new medicines. Novo would use Anthropic’s advanced AI models to enhance software development and expand AI adoption, with strong data governance and human oversight to ensure responsible use.
In July, Anthropic launched Claude Science, an AI workbench designed for scientists, marking its significant expansion into life sciences. The platform supports fields including genomics, proteomics, structural biology and cheminformatics, integrates more than 60 scientific databases and tools, and connects with Nvidia Corp.‘s (NASDAQ:NVDA) BioNeMo Agent Toolkit for access to specialized biology models.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
Login to comment