Machine learning accurately predicts RNA structures using tiny dataset

A digital image of a helical RNA structure

Source: © Townshend et al, 2021 Science

Development could lead to better understanding of RNA and new medicines

A team of biochemists and computer scientists has developed a new way to accurately predict the three-dimensional structures of RNA molecules, using an artificial intelligence system trained with a small number of known RNA shapes.

Experts have hailed the development as a significant improvement in the challenge of computationally predicting RNA structures, and say it could lead to a better understanding of RNA’s role in cellular functions and new therapeutic drugs.