Google’s AlphaGenome 2 zooms in on the cellular roots of disease

Google DeepMind has released AlphaGenome 2, an AI model that predicts the effects of genetic variants on individual cell types and states, providing a more detailed view of how DNA changes contribute to disease. Trained on over 100 million cell profiles across 68 tissues, the model identifies nearly twice as many variants affecting gene expression as its predecessor, AlphaGenome. It can also generalize to new cell types and biological states without retraining and identify gaps in experimental data. Researchers say the breakthrough lies in tying human genetics to cell biology, which is crucial for drug development targeting specific proteins and cell types. AlphaGenome 2 is available for non-commercial research via the AlphaGenome API, with a private preview for commercial use. Its detailed predictions come at a computational cost, so it complements rather than replaces AlphaGenome.

(Source：The Verge)