# Anthropic’s Claude designs protein binders against deadly scorpion toxins

> Claude created over 300,000 protein designs in 24 hours, with 17 showing binding activity in lab tests.

Oossa · 2026-10-21 · https://oossa.com/en/anthropic-s-claude-designs-protein-binders-against-deadly-scorpion-toxins

Anthropic used its Claude AI in the Claude Science environment to design protein binders that could attach to scorpion neurotoxins. Claude generated 318,484 designs for five toxins from four scorpion species after a single prompt and then worked autonomously for 24 hours. Researchers narrowed the set to 211 candidates, testing them in the lab, and 17 met the criteria for binding. Two of those bound very tightly to the Cn2 toxin from the Mexican scorpion, docking near the site of an antibody that neutralizes the toxin in mice. The binders have not yet been tested as an antivenom.

## The facts

- Claude produced 318,484 protein designs in 24 hours.
- 17 of 211 tested designs showed binding activity, with two strong binders to Cn2.

## Why it matters

If further development succeeds, the AI‑generated binders could become a faster, cheaper way to create antivenoms for scorpion stings that kill thousands each year.

## Sources & references

1. [Claude Science tackles deadly scorpion stings by designing protein binders from scratch](https://the-decoder.com/claude-science-tackles-deadly-scorpion-stings-by-designing-protein-binders-from-scratch/) – The Decoder, 2026-10-21

Last updated: 2026-10-21