Researchers at Monash University and the University of Melbourne reported the de novo design of artificial anti-CRISPR proteins that inhibit Cas13a and validated activity in bacterial and human cells. The study, published in Nature Chemical Biology, describes an AI‑accelerated pipeline—using RFdiffusion and ProteinMPNN—that reduced discovery timelines to eight weeks from target selection to lead identification. Anti‑CRISPRs are phage-derived proteins that block CRISPR nuclease activity; they act as molecular “off” switches to limit unintended editing and improve safety of gene therapies.