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Machine Learning: The Native Language of Biology
Machine learning methods better describe many biological systems than traditional mathematical formulations. What does this say about how biological systems are organized and how they function?
A transcription factor like HSF1 acts as a dimension in the cell's internal latent space—it distills complex environmental information into a single axis of variation that influences multiple downstream processes. Protein engineers no longer rely solely on rational design based on physics principles; they use machine learning models trained on evolutionary data to predict which amino acid sequences will fold into functional structures. Imagine designing cellular therapies that can sense and respond to complex disease environments, microbiomes tailored to specific environmental challenges, or organisms engineered to produce materials with unprecedented properties.
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