Reinforcement Learning: From Board Games To Protein Design

Scientists have successfully applied reinforcement learning, a type of machine learning, to a challenge in molecular biology. The team of researchers developed powerful new protein design software adapted from a strategy proven adept at board games like Chess and Go. In one experiment, proteins made with the new approach were found to be more effective at generating useful antibodies in mice. The findings suggest that this breakthrough may soon lead to more potent vaccines and could lead to a new era in protein design.