Latest posts

  • Undergrad researcher Hannah Han is in the Husky 100

    Undergrad researcher Hannah Han is in the Husky 100

    The University of Washington today announced that IPD Undergraduate Researcher Hannah Han is among the 2023 Husky 100. Each year, the Husky 100 recognizes 100 undergraduate and graduate students from the UW Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma campuses in all areas of study who are making the most of their time…

  • Top-down design of protein architectures with reinforcement learning

    Top-down design of protein architectures with reinforcement learning

    Today we report in Science [PDF] the successful application of reinforcement learning to a challenge in protein design. This research is a milestone in the use of artificial intelligence for science, and the potential applications are vast, from developing more effective cancer treatments to new biodegradable textiles.  A team led…

  • C&EN: “Generative AI is dreaming up new proteins”

    C&EN: “Generative AI is dreaming up new proteins”

    Chemical & Engineering News reports that it’s time for chatbots and image generation to move over. AI-powered protein design is having a moment.

  • Abigail Burtner named a UW Goldwater Scholar

    Abigail Burtner named a UW Goldwater Scholar

    Five University of Washington undergraduates have been honored as Goldwater Scholars by the Goldwater Foundation, marking 2023 as the first time five students from the UW were named in a single year. The Goldwater Foundation awards undergraduate scholarships to students who show exceptional academic promise pursuing research careers in the natural…

  • Design of binders for disordered targets

    Design of binders for disordered targets

    Today we report in Nature the design of proteins that recognize and bind to the so-called “intrinsically disordered regions” of proteins and peptides. The body produces such disordered molecules naturally, but many have been linked to health disorders, including myeloma and other cancers. “Disordered proteins play important roles in biology.…

  • RFdiffusion now free and open source

    RFdiffusion now free and open source

    Today we are making RFdiffusion, our artificial intelligence (AI) program that can generate novel proteins with potential applications in medicine, vaccines, and advanced materials, free for both non-profit and for-profit use under a governed license. The software, which has been tested in our labs, is much faster and more capable…

  • De novo design of small beta barrel proteins

    De novo design of small beta barrel proteins

    The de novo design of small proteins with beta-barrel topologies has been a challenge for computational design due to the complexity inherent in these folds. In a new study appearing in PNAS, a team led by Baker Lab research scientist David E. Kim describes the successful design and characterization of…

  • Degreaser: Improving protein secretion

    Degreaser: Improving protein secretion

    King Lab postdoctoral scholars John Wang and Alena Khmelinskaia have developed a new tool for identifying and removing hidden transmembrane sequences that hinder protein secretion.

  • EMERALD: Automatically locate ligands in cyroEM maps

    EMERALD: Automatically locate ligands in cyroEM maps

    Under ideal conditions, cryo-electron microscopy can be used to determine protein structures at near-atomic resolution. But conditions are not always perfect. To help researchers make use of medium-resolution cryo-electron density maps, scientists in the DiMaio Lab have developed EMERALD, which is a new software tool that can accurately and automatically…

  • Lazarovits and Ueda receive WRF translational funding

    Lazarovits and Ueda receive WRF translational funding

    Washington Research Foundation (WRF) has awarded a $498,804 technology commercialization grant to Institute for Protein Design researchers Drs. James Lazarovits and George Ueda. The funding will enable Lazarovits and Ueda to further develop their “plug and play” Antibody Cage (AbC) Platform, which converts antibodies into new structures that uniquely bind…