Team uses AlphaFold AI to redesign gene-editing proteins to make them safer

Researchers have adapted Google's AlphaFold protein-folding AI to identify regions of gene-editing proteins responsible for off-target edits — cases where CRISPR-like systems accidentally edit the wrong DNA sequence. By pinpointing these structural areas, the team was able to redesign the proteins to reduce unwanted edits, a key safety concern as gene-editing therapies move toward clinical use. The work, published in Nature, builds on existing efforts to improve Cas protein specificity alongside guide RNA design strategies.