OpenAI's GPT-4b Micro Model Boosts Longevity Research by Enhancing Yamanaka Factors

Jan 17, 2025, 07:09 PM

OpenAI has developed a new AI model named GPT-4b micro in collaboration with Retro Biosciences, a longevity research company backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who invested $180 million in Retro in 2022. The model is designed to enhance the re-engineering of Yamanaka factors, a set of proteins crucial for converting regular cells into stem cells. This collaboration aims to improve the efficiency of cell reprogramming, which currently has a success rate of less than 1% in lab settings. The GPT-4b micro model has been used to suggest modifications to the Yamanaka factors, resulting in versions that are reportedly over 50 times more effective at inducing stem cell production. The project marks OpenAI's first foray into biological data and scientific discovery, with potential applications in extending human lifespan by up to 10 years, as per Retro Biosciences' goals.