Anthropic says Claude discovered a new CRISPR-like enzyme system

Anthropic announced on Wednesday the launch of a new life sciences research group and laboratory, revealing that its AI model Claude autonomously discovered a previously uncharacterized enzyme system with structural similarities to CRISPR, the powerful gene-editing technology.investing+1

The discovery marks an early test of whether general-purpose AI models can accelerate biological research — and arrives as Anthropic prepares to go public.theverge

How Claude Found ART

The enzyme system, called array-associated reverse transcriptases (ART), was identified after Anthropic prompted Claude to search a massive database of DNA sequences for novel examples of reverse transcriptases, enzymes that copy RNA into DNA. Roughly 950 Claude agents spent 21 hours processing 210 million tokens of data, gathering over 200,000 reverse transcriptases, identifying 3,500 new candidate systems, and narrowing those to 20 for detailed analysis. Anthropic said its scientists' involvement was limited to providing the initial prompt and conducting laboratory experiments.unite+2

One agent flagged an unusual repeating pattern of DNA sequences next to a reverse transcriptase gene. In its log, the agent wrote: "The DNA next to the RT is spectacular: I can see by eye a tandem repeat array … that's a CRISPR-like … repeat array?!" The agent then counted the repeats, measured their spacing, and searched the literature for any prior report before filing a report for human review.unite

A System Resembling CRISPR

ART consists of three components: a reverse transcriptase, a partner gene, and an array of evenly spaced DNA repeat sequences — a layout that resembles CRISPR arrays. While the underlying reverse transcriptase in jumbo phage had been identified in previous studies, Anthropic said Claude appears to be the first to notice the system's defining features, including the associated array of non-coding DNA sequences and an additional accessory protein.investing+1

Feng Zhang, a CRISPR genome editing pioneer and professor at MIT and the Broad Institute, reviewed the pre-print. "This is an exciting example of how AI agents can contribute to biological discovery," Zhang said. "The identification of RNA-repeat arrays associated with reverse transcriptases is genuinely intriguing and merits further investigation."unite+1

Practical Impact Remains Uncertain

Despite the comparisons to CRISPR, ART's primary function remains unknown, and it is unclear whether the discovery will have practical applications. Initial experiments show the ART array produces distinct short RNAs, and further work is underway. Anthropic has released a pre-print and technical report and is inviting research proposals from other scientists.theverge+2

The research group, formed in spring 2026, operates from a Bay Area laboratory at biosafety levels BSL-1 and BSL-2, handling no human pathogens. As The Verge noted, the announcement comes as AI companies increasingly turn to scientific research to demonstrate the value of their most capable models.unite+2