A I-designed proteins may help spot cancer

MIT and Microsoft researchers used AI to design molecular sensors (short proteins called peptides) that can detect early signs of cancer through a urine test. Nanoparticles coated with these peptides are activated by proteases (enzymes that are overactive in cancer cells), producing a detectable signal when excreted in urine. AI-designed peptides are more effective than older trial-and-error methods because they can be optimized to be highly sensitive and specific to particular cancer-linked proteases.