# MIT Built an AI to Find the Next CRISPR. It Found 100 Hidden Bacterial Immune Systems — and 45% Have No Known Mechanism - Date: 2026-04-08 - Category: Biotech & Life Sciences DefensePredictor, trained on 17,000 microbial genomes, found 624 bacterial defense proteins; 45% of the novel ones share nothing with existing databases. When the team tested 106 in live bacteria, 42% worked. ---