Anthropic says its Claude AI models helped researchers identify a previously unknown enzyme system in the DNA of bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria. The system contains DNA patterns that are similar to those found in CRISPR, the gene-editing technology widely used in biological research.
Anthropic announced the finding on September 23. It is the first research result from the company’s new life sciences group and laboratory in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to Anthropic, Claude searched large DNA databases, spotted unusual patterns and helped researchers decide which findings should be tested in the lab.
The company has named the system array-associated reverse transcriptases, or ART. Researchers are still trying to understand what the system does and whether it could eventually have any use in biotechnology.
Claude Scanned 200,000 Reverse Transcriptases to Find a New Biological System
The research started with a search for unusual examples of reverse transcriptases, or RTs. These are enzymes that make DNA from RNA.
Anthropic said about 950 Claude agents worked on the search for around 21 hours and used about 210 million tokens. The agents found more than 200,000 reverse transcriptases, selected 3,500 candidates for further study and narrowed the list to 20 promising candidates.
During the search, one Claude agent noticed an unusual pattern near a reverse transcriptase gene. The DNA contained a long series of repeated sequences that had not previously been identified as part of the system.
The agent compared the pattern with known biological systems, looked at the spacing between the repeats and searched scientific papers for similar findings. Anthropic’s researchers then examined the finding in more detail and identified what they describe as a previously uncharacterized biological system.
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ART Shows Similarities to CRISPR Gene-Editing Systems
ART contains three main parts: a reverse transcriptase, a nearby partner gene and a long series of evenly spaced DNA repeats. The repeat structure is one reason Anthropic has compared ART with CRISPR. CRISPR systems contain repeated DNA sequences that can produce RNA molecules involved in bacterial defense.
These systems later became the basis for widely used gene-editing technologies. Anthropic said early tests showed that the ART repeat array is also converted into a group of short RNA molecules. However, researchers do not yet know what these RNAs do or whether ART can edit genes.
The reverse transcriptase itself was already known from earlier research. The new finding is the larger system around the enzyme, including the repeated DNA sequence and another protein whose role is still unknown.
Anthropic Says More Research Is Needed to Understand ART
Anthropic said the discovery is an early research finding and that much more work is needed. Researchers are carrying out additional experiments to understand the main function of ART. So far, they have identified its unusual genetic structure and found evidence that its repeat sequences produce RNA.
They have not yet established how the different parts of the system work together. The similarities to CRISPR also do not mean that ART is a new gene-editing technology. Anthropic has said the system has some features that resemble CRISPR, but it has not claimed that ART can perform the same functions.
The research has been published as a preprint, so it has not yet gone through peer review. Anthropic said it is sharing the early findings while more experiments are being carried out.
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Anthropic Expands Claude’s Role in Biological Research
The discovery is part of Anthropic’s wider effort to use Claude in scientific research. The company’s new life sciences group is working on ways to use Claude to study large biological datasets, suggest possible research directions and identify proteins and biological systems that scientists can test in the laboratory.
In this process, Claude searches genetic data and prepares reports on possible candidates. Human researchers then review those results and decide which ones should be tested. Anthropic said human scientists carry out all of the laboratory work.
The company has also set up a wet lab in the Bay Area as it expands its work in biology and drug research. The broader effort combines AI-based analysis with laboratory experiments.
The ART finding gives Anthropic an early example of how AI agents could help researchers search through huge amounts of biological data and find patterns that might otherwise take much longer to identify.
