The Prototype: This AI Model Could Make It Faster To Find New Medicines
In this week's edition of The Prototype, we look at a new AI model that could speed up drug discovery, how the Trump/Musk blowup could impact NASA, a new class of electronics and more. You can sign up to get The Prototype in your inbox here.
getty
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded in part to Deepmind's Demis Hassabis and John Jumper for the development of AlphaFold–an AI model that predicts the structure of proteins, the complex chemicals essential to making our bodies work. Since its inception, this model and others like it have been put to use in laboratories around the world, enabling new biological discoveries.
Now a team from MIT and pharmaceutical company Recursion, with support from Cancer Grand Challenges, have developed a tool that takes these principles further–and may help researchers find new medicines more quickly. Called Boltz-2, this open-source generative AI model can not only predict the structure of proteins, it can also predict its binding affinity–that is, how well a potential drug is able to interact with that protein. This is crucial in the early stages of developing a new medicine.
Until now, scientists could only find binding affinity in one of two ways: they could actually conduct an experiment to determine it, or they could use a complicated computer simulation process called FEP. In a paper published today, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, the team demonstrated that it could produce similar results to an FEP–but significantly faster.
'Boltz-2, in just 20 seconds, can match the performance of FEP, which usually takes from 6-12 hours,' said researcher Gabriele Corso. 'Pretty much changing the game.'
Getty Images
SpaceX has been caught in the crossfire of the ongoing feud between Donald Trump and company founder Elon Musk. The two men have been sharing barbs over the President's proposed budget bill, with Musk criticizing it for including too much spending and increasing the deficit. On Thursday afternoon, the President posted on Truth Social that '[t]he easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.'
If Trump were to follow through on cancelling contracts, the biggest price may well be paid by NASA. Although the space agency played a crucial role in getting the company off the ground, SpaceX doesn't need it anymore. According to Musk, the company is currently bringing in around $15.5 billion a year in revenue. Forbes estimates that about 80% of this comes from its internet business, Starlink. And while SpaceX still gets plenty of government business, it also launches dozens of commercial spacecraft every year.
The reverse, however, isn't true. NASA relies heavily on SpaceX for its operations–the company's rockets launched more than half of the agency's space missions last year. And while NASA has other partners in aerospace, such as Boeing, many are years behind SpaceX in terms of development.
Read the whole story here.
A team of researchers at Virginia Tech invented a new kind of circuit board that is both more durable and easier to recycle than conventional electronics. It's composed of a soft plastic that's embedded with a liquid, conductive metal to carry electricity. The resulting electronics work even if they're bent out of shape and can even self-repair some damage. For recycling, they can be chemically deconstructed with a simple process that makes it easy to re-form into a new product.
Japanese space startup Ispace's second attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon failed this week. According to the company, the laser rangefinder that its spacecraft used to measure the distance to the surface experienced communications difficulties. Because it didn't know its altitude, it didn't slow down enough for a safe landing, causing it to crash.
In my other newsletter, InnovationRx, Amy Feldman and I looked at the impact of Trump's proposed budget cuts on biomedical research and global health, news from the ASCO cancer meeting and a biotech company making drug products through fermentation.
Solar panels provide an unexpected environmental benefit–when they're placed in drought-prone grasslands, they boost soil moisture levels and increase plant growth by 20% compared to open fields, because of both the shade they provide and water that collects on them.
A new compound, called infuzide, showed antibacterial activity against strains that are resistant to antibiotics, which may provide a new weapon for doctors against infectious diseases.
Amazon is reportedly testing humanoid robots to see if they can be used to deliver packages. The retail giant has already been putting similar technology to work in its warehouses.
Researchers found that diatoms, a kind of algae with silica in its cell walls, could be introduced to the Moon's soil to make it capable of growing crops.
If you're in midlife and wondering if you should abandon your morning coffee, think twice–at least, if you're a woman. That's because a new analysis, which followed nearly 50,000 women for over 30 years, found that those who drank coffee (the good stuff, with caffeine) were more likely to age in a healthy way, maintaining both their physical and cognitive health across a wide variety of parameters, than those who drank tea or decaf.
As a middle-aged dad, two things I greatly enjoy are hard rock music and military history. Swedish metal band Sabaton scratches both of those itches at the same time by singing heavy ballads about historic battles and the people who fought them. Some of my favorite tracks of theirs include 'Night Witches' (about an all-female Soviet bomber regiment in World War II), 'The Last Stand' (about the Swiss Guards who defended Rome in battle in 1527), "Blood of Bannockburn" (about a major victory in the War of Scottish Independence) and 'To Hell And Back' (about American World War II hero Audie Murphy). They're like Schoolhouse Rock but with much better guitar solos.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Verge
13 minutes ago
- The Verge
Yep, that's a Tesla robotaxi driving on the wrong side of the road.
Tesla's Cybercab robotaxi event: the biggest news and announcements See all Stories Posted Jun 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM UTC Yep, that's a Tesla robotaxi driving on the wrong side of the road. By most accounts, the company's robotaxi launch in Austin yesterday went off without a hitch. Most of the Tesla fans and influencers who received invites to test it out said the experience was 'smooth' and 'natural.' But you knew something was going to happen, and that something turned out to be a robotaxi briefly driving in the opposite lane of traffic. Not a good look.
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US investor strikes $1 billion merger to create bitcoin treasury company
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss BOSTON (Reuters) -U.S. investor and entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano announced on Monday the creation of a new bitcoin (BTC-USD) treasury company that would hold up to $1 billion of the world's largest cryptocurrency on its balance sheet. Pompliano said in a statement that his financial services firm ProCap BTC would merge with Columbus Circle Capital I, a special purpose acquisition company, to create ProCap Financial, a bitcoin treasury firm. Several public companies have employed bitcoin treasury strategies, which involves allocating a portion of their cash and reserves toward bitcoin, to replicate the success of software company Strategy, which began accumulating bitcoin in 2020 and now holds more than $63 billion worth of the digital token. The trend comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to overhaul cryptocurrency policy, including calls to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve, after courting cash from the industry on the campaign trail. Pompliano, one of the biggest investors in the crypto space over the last several years, said ProCap BTC has raised $500 million in equity and $250 million in a convertible note, in what he termed the largest initial fundraising in history for a bitcoin treasury company. Unlike traditional bitcoin treasury companies, Pompliano said ProCap Financial would use its bitcoin balance sheet to generate revenue and profit through a variety of strategies, including lending, derivatives, and other products and services. He also said leading institutional investors Citadel, Susquehanna, Jane Street, and Magnetar have committed capital, as have crypto firms Off the Chain Capital, Pantera, Coinfund, Parafi, and FalconX. Reuters was unable to verify whether these companies were investing in ProCap Financial. "The legacy financial system is being disrupted by bitcoin right before our eyes," Pompliano said. "Our objective is to develop a platform that will not only acquire bitcoin for our balance sheet, but will also implement risk-mitigated solutions to generate sustainable revenue and profits from our bitcoin holdings." By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
High Roller Technologies to Present at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference June 26th
Company invites individual and institutional investors, as well as advisors and analysts, to attend online at LAS VEGAS, June 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Roller Technologies, Inc. ('High Roller' and the 'Company') (NYSE: ROLR), operator of award-winning premium online casino brands High Roller and Fruta, today announced that Seth Young, SVP Corporate Strategy & Investor Relations, will present live at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference hosted by on June 26th, 2025 DATE: June 26th TIME: 12:00 PM ETLINK: REGISTER HEREAvailable for 1x1 meetings: July 1, 2025 This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at About High Roller Technologies, Inc. High Roller Technologies, Inc. is a leading global online gaming operator known for its innovative casino brands, High Roller and Fruta, listed under the ticker ROLR on the NYSE. The Company delivers a cutting-edge real-money online casino platform that is intuitive and user-friendly. With a diverse portfolio of over 5,000 premium games from more than 90 leading game providers, High Roller Technologies serves a global customer base, offering an immersive and engaging gaming experience in the rapidly expanding multi-billion iGaming industry. The online casino features enhanced search engine optimization, machine learning, seamless direct API integrations, faster load times, and superior scalability. As an award-winning operator, High Roller Technologies continues to redefine the future of online gaming through innovation, performance, and a commitment to excellence. For more information, please visit the High Roller Technologies, Inc. investor relations website, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. About Virtual Investor Conferences®Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors. Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors. CONTACTS:High Roller Technologies, Inc. ir@ 800-460-1039 Virtual Investor Conferences John M. ViglottiSVP Corporate Services, Investor AccessOTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221johnv@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
