A company run by Google, called DeepMind, has found a way to predict diseases in people using artificial intelligence(AI). This is the name given to a computer system that can "think" for itself and perform tasks that usually require human intelligence such as problem-solving and decision-making.
Google DeepMind is an AI company that works with scientists, engineers and researchers to solve difficult challenges using technology. They say their aim is to advance science and benefit humanity, and their research includes finding ways to use technology to identify and treat diseases.
DeepMind's new software, AlphaMissense, works by looking at DNA. This is a chemical found in all animals and plants that carries information about every living thing's appearance and characteristics.
DNA is made up of four chemical "bases". These are known as A, T, G and C. The order that these bases are arranged in is very important, because it provides the instructions for how a life-form will develop. If the bases aren't in the right order, this can create something called missense mutations（突变）. These are mostly harmless, but in some cases they lead to diseases, including sickle cell disease, which affects people's blood, and cystic fibrosis, which affects lungs and digestive(消化的） systems.
There are millions of possible missense mutations. Scientists had only classified (归类) 0.1% of these as either benign or potentially (潜在的) disease-causing. However, the AlphaMissense software has now classified an impressive 89% of them. The DeepMind team have shared their findings in the hope that it will help doctors and scientists spot disease-causing mutations and start treating people sooner.
Genomics England (GE), a company that works with the NHS to analyse people's DNA, has already tested the software. Dr Ellen Thomas, from GE, said it will help scientists "make sense of genetic data", so that patients can get better treatments.
