DNA is often explained as a codebook or set of instructions for producing proteins, and ultimately, life. Some stretches of DNA, called genes, code for proteins, but the vast majority of DNA is considered “noncoding.” Some of it has no known function, while other segments are critical to regulating gene activity.

These regulatory elements can interact in complicated ways, and their effects can vary across different cells and tissues. Some also influence genes located far away in the genome . Understanding how changes in DNA affect this regulation “is fundamental to understanding most disease,” says Carl de Boer , a genomicist at the University of British Columbia.

That’s why researchers are working to understand what every imaginable small variation in human DNA across the entire genome might mean for gene regulation. A recent AI tool built for that purpose from Google DeepMind , AlphaGenome , was originally announced in 2025 .…