NEWS AND VIEWS22 July 2026AlphaFold3 predictions of the molecular contacts made by a genome-editing enzyme have been used to improve the enzyme’s selectivity for target DNA sequences.ByHoi Yee Chu ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1970-12590 &Alan S. L. Wong ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1790-32331Hoi Yee ChuHoi Yee Chu is in the School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, and the Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong, China.View author publicationsSearch author on: PubMed Google ScholarAlan S. L. WongAlan S. L. Wong is in the School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, and the Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong, China.View author publicationsSearch author on: PubMed Google ScholarTiny shifts of less than one ten-billionth of a metre in the gap between an enzyme and its target might seem too subtle to measure directly, or to predict with artificial intelligence. Yet such shifts are exactly what Meng et al.1, writing in Nature, have leveraged to improve the fidelity of ‘base editors’ — a class of genome-rewriting tools that can make single-nucleotide changes at targeted sites, offering potential for treating many genetic diseases. By using AI to predict the structures of thousands of base editors in complex with nucleic acids, and analysing the patterns that emerged, the authors have captured the differences in molecular interactions that correlate with on-target versus off-target editing.Access optionsAccess Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journalsGet Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription27,99 € / 30 dayscancel any timeLearn moreSubscribe to this journalReceive 52 print issues and online access199,00 € per yearonly 3,83 € per issueLearn moreRent or buy this articlePrices vary by article typefrom$1.95to$39.95Learn morePrices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkoutdoi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02042-1ReferencesMeng, H. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10794-z (2026).Article Google Scholar Jinek, M. et al. Science 337, 816–821 (2012).Article PubMed Google Scholar Cong, L. et al. Science 339, 819–823 (2013).Article PubMed Google Scholar Komor, A. C., Kim, Y. B., Packer, M. S., Zuris, J. A. & Liu, D. R. Nature 533, 420–424 (2016).Article PubMed Google Scholar Gaudelli, N. M. et al. Nature 551, 464–471 (2017).Article PubMed Google Scholar Vakulskas, C. A. et al. Nature Med. 24, 1216–1224 (2018).Article PubMed Google Scholar Choi, G. C. G. et al. Nature Methods 16, 722–730 (2019).Article PubMed Google Scholar Jumper, J. et al. Nature 596, 583–589 (2021).Article PubMed Google Scholar Abramson, J. et al. Nature 630, 493–500 (2024).Article PubMed Google Scholar Baek, M. et al. Nature Methods 21, 117–121 (2024).Article PubMed Google Scholar Chu, H. Y. et al. Cell Syst. 15, 193–203 (2024).Article PubMed Google Scholar Thean, D. G. L. et al. Nature Commun. 13, 2219 (2022).Article PubMed Google Scholar Silverstein, R. A. et al. Nature 643, 539–550 (2025).Article PubMed Google Scholar Ruffolo, J. A. et al. Nature 645, 518–525 (2025).Article PubMed Google Scholar Peng, J. et al. Mol. Cell 86, 1839–1855 (2026).Article PubMed Google Scholar Download referencesCompeting InterestsThe authors declare no competing interests. Read the paper: Precise DNA base editing using AlphaFold3-based contact modelling Accounting for diversity in the design of CRISPR-based therapeutic genome editing CRISPR’s next act: the companies editing the epigenome to treat diseaseSee all News & ViewsSubjectsCRISPR-Cas9 genome editingComputational biology and bioinformaticsMachine learningLatest on:Computational biology and bioinformaticsMachine learningJobs Professor of Human Nutrition BiologyThe Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zurich invites applications for the above-mentioned position at the Institute of Food, NutritiZurich, SwitzerlandETH ZurichScientist / Postdoc (m/f/d)We invite applications for the Research Group Proteomics: Scientist / Postdoc (m/f/d)Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen (DE)Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS – e.V.Assistant ProfessorWe invite applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level in the Department of Geophysics.Stanford, California (US)Stanford University, Doerr School of SustainabilityAssistant Attending, L1The Department of Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center (MSKCC) is seeking a qualified Radiation Oncologist candidate (board-eligible ...Monmouth County, New JerseyMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center