Claude designs 17 protein binders against scorpion neurotoxins in 64 hours

• Claude designed 17 protein binders that successfully bind to scorpion neurotoxins, validated by experimental testing at Adaptyv Bio and Twist Bioscience.
• The AI model generated 318,484 protein designs over 64 hours, selecting 180 for lab testing; 17 of the final 211 tested designs met strict binding criteria.
• The strongest binders (Cn2-B1 and Cn2-B2) achieved single-digit nanomolar affinity against the Cn2 toxin and likely target the same site as a known neutralizing antibody.
• All 211 designs and their experimental data are being released publicly to accelerate research into scorpion antivenoms and other neglected diseases.

Design Methodology

• Claude operated with high autonomy, using 12 design tools and consuming approximately 10,000 GPU hours to generate and filter designs.
• The campaign targeted five specific neurotoxins (Cn2, Ts1, AaH I, AaH II, LqhIII) from four geographic regions, focusing on their sodium channel-binding sites.
• Multitoxin binders targeting multiple toxins simultaneously did not meet the binding criteria, with success limited to single-toxin targets.

Validation and Limitations

• Binding was measured via surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in two complementary lab formats: cell-free systems and mammalian cell fusions.
• The study did not test for neutralization in cellular environments or live animals, so the designs are not yet confirmed as functional antivenoms.
• Future steps include confirming binding to purified venom and testing efficacy in mice before any potential therapeutic development.