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Molecular de-extinction looks to the past to find the molecules of the future.

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Title: Molecular de-extinction looks to the past to find the molecules of the future.
Authors: Adam, David
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 5/26/2026, Vol. 123 Issue 21, p1-4. 4p.
Subjects: Antimicrobial peptides, Fossil DNA, Bioethics, Chemical synthesis, Machine learning, Medical research, Protein synthesis, Drug resistance in bacteria
Abstract: This article focuses on molecular de-extinction, a scientific approach that reconstructs proteins and peptides from extinct species’ ancient DNA to discover new biologically active molecules, particularly antimicrobial peptides. Advances in ancient DNA sequencing, synthetic chemistry, and machine learning have enabled researchers, including computational biologist César de la Fuente’s team, to identify and synthesize peptides from extinct animals such as woolly mammoths, Neanderthals, and the moa bird, some of which show promising antibiotic activity in laboratory and mouse models. While molecular de-extinction offers potential solutions to antibiotic resistance and other biomedical challenges, it raises ethical and legal questions regarding patenting and the commercialization of naturally occurring but extinct molecules. The field remains in early stages, with significant technical and regulatory hurdles before clinical application. [Extracted from the article]
Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
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  Data: Molecular de-extinction looks to the past to find the molecules of the future.
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  Data: This article focuses on molecular de-extinction, a scientific approach that reconstructs proteins and peptides from extinct species’ ancient DNA to discover new biologically active molecules, particularly antimicrobial peptides. Advances in ancient DNA sequencing, synthetic chemistry, and machine learning have enabled researchers, including computational biologist César de la Fuente’s team, to identify and synthesize peptides from extinct animals such as woolly mammoths, Neanderthals, and the moa bird, some of which show promising antibiotic activity in laboratory and mouse models. While molecular de-extinction offers potential solutions to antibiotic resistance and other biomedical challenges, it raises ethical and legal questions regarding patenting and the commercialization of naturally occurring but extinct molecules. The field remains in early stages, with significant technical and regulatory hurdles before clinical application. [Extracted from the article]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1073/pnas.2615114123
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Antimicrobial peptides
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fossil DNA
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      – SubjectFull: Bioethics
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      – SubjectFull: Chemical synthesis
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      – SubjectFull: Medical research
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      – SubjectFull: Protein synthesis
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      – SubjectFull: Drug resistance in bacteria
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              Text: 5/26/2026
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