AI is being used to design custom proteins that help immune cells find and kill cancer
custom proteins
that act like a 'GPS' for the immune system, guiding T cells directly to
cancer
cells and helping them destroy tumors with remarkable precision.
The new research, published Thursday(July 24) in the journal Science, demonstrates how generative AI can create tiny proteins that dramatically enhance the cancer-killing power of human immune cells. In lab tests, T cells outfitted with these proteins swiftly located and killed melanoma cells, a fast-spreading and often deadly form of skin cancer.
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'It's like giving immune cells Google Maps for cancer,' said lead researcher Dr. Timothy Jenkins, a medical biotechnologist at the Technical University of Denmark. 'We're helping T cells find the tumor much more efficiently than they could on their own.'
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The work is an early-stage form of immunotherapy, a treatment approach that boosts the body's natural defenses to fight disease. The idea builds on successful techniques like CAR T-cell therapy but adds a major twist: Instead of relying on naturally occurring cell receptors, which can take months to isolate and test, the scientists used AI to design new proteins from scratch in just days.
The use of AI tools
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To create the molecular guides, the researchers used three AI tools. First, a generative model called RFdiffusion was used to analyze the structure of a specific cancer target known as NY-ESO-1, a
protein
found on many tumor cells. Then, another model proposed amino acid sequences that would fold into the right shape to bind the target. A third model helped narrow tens of thousands of options down to just 44, which were tested in the lab. One design stood out, and it worked.
The study builds on a wave of recent breakthroughs in computational biology, including technologies that led to the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for protein structure prediction. Earlier this year, Jenkins' team also developed
AI-designed proteins
for improved snakebite antivenoms.
Clinical trials are still years away, and many questions remain about how the proteins will perform in the human body. But the researchers are optimistic.
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