What is it?

• AlphaFold is an AI-based protein structure prediction tool.
• It is based on a computer system called deep neural network.
• Inspired by the human brain, neural networks use a large amount of input data and provide the desired output exactly like how a human brain would. The real work is done by the black box between the input and the output layers, called the hidden networks.
• AlphaFold is fed with protein sequences as input. When protein sequences enter through one end, the predicted three-dimensional structures come out through the other.

What are the implications of this development?

• Proteins carry out all the functions inside a living cell. Therefore, knowing protein structure and function is essential to understanding human diseases.
• Scientists predict protein structures using x-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or cryogenic electron microscopy.
• These techniques are not just time-consuming, they often take years and are based mainly on trial-and-error methods. The development of AlphaFold changes all of that.

Why in News:

• DeepMind, a company based in London and owned by Google, announced that it had predicted the three-dimensional structures of more than 200 million proteins using AlphaFold.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/explained-alphafold-a-tour-de-force-in-science/article65710890.ece