arXiv:2602.18915q-bio.QMcs.AI2026-02被引 1

用AI设计新型腺相关病毒,精准靶向肾脏。

AAVGen: Precision Engineering of Adeno-associated Viral Capsids for Renal Selective Targeting

  • 基于蛋白质语言模型与强化学习,生成多特性优化的病毒外壳序列。
  • 新设计的病毒在产量、肾靶向性、耐热性上均优于原始毒株。
  • 适合基因治疗、病毒工程研究者,加速个性化疗法研发。

腺相关病毒(AAV)是基因治疗的理想载体,但其天然血清型在组织嗜性、免疫逃逸和生产效率方面存在局限。由于序列空间庞大且需同时优化多项功能,改造工作极具挑战性,尤其针对肾脏这类具有独特解剖屏障和细胞靶点的器官。本文提出AAVGen,一种基于生成式人工智能的从头设计框架,用于构建具备增强多特质性能的AAV衣壳。该框架整合蛋白质语言模型(PLM)、监督微调(SFT)及一种名为组序列策略优化(GSPO)的强化学习方法。模型通过三个基于ESM-2的回归预测器构成的复合奖励信号进行指导,分别预测生产适应性、肾脏嗜性和热稳定性。结果表明,AAVGen生成了多样化的新型VP1蛋白序列。体外验证显示,多数变体在三项指标上表现更优,证实了多目标优化成功。此外,通过AlphaFold3的结构分析确认,生成序列虽序列多样,但仍保持典型衣壳折叠结构。AAVGen为数据驱动的病毒载体工程奠定了基础,加速下一代定制化AAV载体的开发。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are promising vectors for gene therapy, but their native serotypes face limitations in tissue tropism, immune evasion, and production efficiency. Engineering capsids to overcome these hurdles is challenging due to the vast sequence space and the difficulty of simultaneously optimizing multiple functional properties. The complexity also adds when it comes to the kidney, which presents unique anatomical barriers and cellular targets that require precise and efficient vector engineering. Here, we present AAVGen, a generative artificial intelligence framework for de novo design of AAV capsids with enhanced multi-trait profiles. AAVGen integrates a protein language model (PLM) with supervised fine-tuning (SFT) and a reinforcement learning technique termed Group Sequence Policy Optimization (GSPO). The model is guided by a composite reward signal derived from three ESM-2-based regression predictors, each trained to predict a key property: production fitness, kidney tropism, and thermostability. Our results demonstrate that AAVGen produces a diverse library of novel VP1 protein sequences. In silico validations revealed that the majority of the generated variants have superior performance across all three employed indices, indicating successful multi-objective optimization. Furthermore, structural analysis via AlphaFold3 confirms that the generated sequences preserve the canonical capsid folding despite sequence diversification. AAVGen establishes a foundation for data-driven viral vector engineering, accelerating the development of next-generation AAV vectors with tailored functional characteristics.

基因治疗AI设计病毒载体

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