Define a focused question
A team might investigate whether a particular DNA change affects the activity of a gene in a chosen experimental context. The question should specify what change is being tested and what outcome would count as supporting or contradicting the proposed explanation.
Use AI to prioritise candidates
Researchers can compare predictions for candidate variants and choose which to investigate first. They should retain the model version, settings, input and scoring method so that another person can understand the analysis. A high impact score is a reason to investigate; it is not an automatic statement that a variant causes disease.
Design an independent check
The laboratory stage should test a relevant molecular outcome with appropriate comparison conditions. Researchers then compare the observation with the prediction. Agreement can support a particular mechanism; disagreement is also informative and may expose a modelling limit or a problem with the original hypothesis.
Explain the practical significance
When communicating the result, distinguish what was measured from what is inferred. State the setting, sample or experimental constraints. A result in one model system may need further investigation before wider use. The Atlas team reports experimentally verified findings from collaborators, while the catalogue as a whole remains a resource of predictions. [5]
Sources & further reading
Research checked for this issue on 5 October 2026. Publication dates refer to the source; practical examples are labelled in the text.
- Google DeepMind / AlphaGenome Atlas team
A predictive map of every possible DNA letter change in the human genome ↗
8 September 2026 - Avsec and colleagues / Nature
Advancing regulatory variant effect prediction with AlphaGenome ↗
28 January 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10014-0
Work photographs are representative examples of the activity described. They are not evidence of a specific TANEVOR, NVIDIA, FAO or BRIDGE project. Product photographs show the model identified in their captions.