With the advent of AI, scientists can develop new proteins at an astonishing rate, helping tackle our biggest biomedical and environmental issues. Protein engineer and TED Fellow César Ramírez-Sarmiento delves into the evolution of protein design and imagines a future where the next generation of Latin American scientists have the tools to explore nature’s untapped terrain and reshape the future of humanity.Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:TEDNext: ted.com/futureyouTEDAI San Francisco: ted.com/ai-sf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Go to TED.com slash future you or click the link in our show notes to learn more about TED Next. You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Today's talk is part of our new 2025 TED Fellows Films adapted for podcasts just for our TED Talks Daily listeners. We'll be releasing these special episodes showcasing...
our amazing fellows on certain Fridays throughout the rest of 2025 and into the new year. The TED Fellows program supports a network of global innovators, and we are so excited to share their work with you. Today, we'd love for you to meet protein engineer, designer, and TED Fellow Cesar Ramirez Sarmiento.
What if we could take one of nature's fundamental biological building blocks, proteins, and redesign them to tackle some of humanity's biggest challenges? Cesar's lab is based in Santiago, Chile, and it uses AI to design new proteins with both therapeutic and environmental applications.
His creative approach to protein design and AI shows why Latin America is emerging as such a leader in this space and why we should look to enzymes for everything from breaking down PET plastics to developing new healthcare solutions. After we hear from Cesar, stick around for his conversation with TED Fellows Program Director Lily James Olds. It's coming up.
My name is César Ramírez Sarmiento. I'm based in Santiago, Chile. I'm a protein engineer and designer. Proteins are macromolecules which are composed of amino acids. They are made of 20 different types of amino acids. They are represented by letters. So you can imagine an alphabet of amino acids. And you can imagine that these amino acids are connected to each other like beads on a string.
And so that allows for them to come together in different geometries. And so they get a shape. They get a three-dimensional structure that allows for them to dictate their functions. We have many different proteins with many different shapes that actually perform different biological functions in cells. They allow us to digest food.
They allow us to transport ions for electrical signals to go through neurons. They allow for the expression of different genes that regulate how our cells or how our body responds. Proteins are the workhorse of cells. They are like a toolbox for cells to do whatever they have to do. Proteins have been evolving for millions of years for performing functions that are important for cellular life.
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