AI driven protein design- beyond nature's blueprint

Nature has “gifted” us proteins that carry out a vast array of functions in cells, shaping the lives of all organisms, ecosystems, and ultimately the planet. In the age of synthetic biology, researchers are pushing beyond the catalogue of naturally evolved proteins by redesigning or even de novo designing proteins to make them more suitable for human goals—improving function, stability, specificity, manufacturability, or even creating entirely new capabilities. Artificial intelligence is becoming an important ally in transforming protein engineering from a trial-and-error process into a more predictive discipline, where deep learning models help predict the structure and function of a novel protein directly from its sequence. This enables faster generation and optimization of sequences for desired functions and reduces expensive and time-consuming wet-lab cycles. In this episode of the BioRevolution Podcast, Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler speak with Ingmar Schuster, AI expert and CEO of the protein design company Provolut, about the hopes, myths, and real potential of AI in protein design. Find Imgmar here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingmar-schuster/ Find Provolut here: https://provolut.bio/ Learn more about how they approach protein design for their clients here:https://provolut.bio/case-study-max-planck-insitute/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Sources 1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590093525000177 2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-025-00349-8 3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11427-024-2906-3 4. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acscentsci.3c01275 5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03819-2 6. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02211-5 7. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add2187 8. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02123-4 9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36702895/ 10. https://www.profluent.bio/platform 11. https://provolut.bio/case-study-max-planck-insitute/ 12. https://provolut.bio/provolut-partners-with-ginkgo-bioworks/ 13. https://biopharma.ginkgo.bio/resources/blog/ginkgo-technology-network-launches-providing-an-integrated-rd-experience-with-capabilities-from-over-25-inaugural-partners