The Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences has developed a method for screening embryos for IVF (in vitro fertilization) – the neural network will look for deviations in the genetic profile of the future fetus. In addition, Olga Kardymon, a bioinformatician, researcher and head of the Bioinformatics group at the AIRI Institute for Artificial Intelligence, told socialbites.ca that the method can show how chromosomes are arranged in the 3-dimensional structure of the nucleus.
“It’s very different from what’s on the market. I can’t explain all the details, but the technology there is completely different. Moreover, it doesn’t just allow DNA sequencing, it just doesn’t allow to read its sequence and determine exactly where the mutation occurred. Colleagues plan to add the ability to see how these chromosomes are positioned in the 3D structure of our nucleus. In these changes, we will be able to see which gene comes into contact with which gene and where, and how different regulatory processes can come into play.”
According to him, while the research of the SB RAS experts is at the level of scientific development, tests are being carried out on various synthetic and living non-embryonic samples that have some form of aneuploidy (numerical chromosomal abnormalities).
To learn more about how neural networks look for mutations in the human genome, create proteins that did not exist in nature before, and predict the effectiveness of vaccines and drugs, see material “socialbites.ca”.