ForceGen: End-to-end de novo protein generation

ForceGen: End-to-end de novo protein generation(science.org)

64 points by vagabund 2 years ago | 10 comments

vagabund 2 years ago |

Author thread: https://twitter.com/ProfBuehlerMIT/status/175628414213464913...

Code and weights: https://huggingface.co/lamm-mit/ProteinMechanicsDiffusionDes...

This is an interesting and novel paper. Speaking as a biophysicist, I see potential applications in the regenerative medicine space with cartilage and/or joint replacement. There could be also applications in the field of dermatology with aging therapies or skin grafts. More speculatively, one can imagine scientists developing superior types of joints or connective tissues than the ones evolution has landed upon.

instagraham 2 years ago | |

A question for any novel approach like this - every single usecase needs its own safety and clinical trial before we can see it in action on humans?

Anything this synthesizes will have a 10-15 year minimum waiting period, I assume?

BenFranklin100 2 years ago | | |

I estimate at least 20 years before we see practical applications. Biology is complicated, developing effecting therapies often even more so. But we have to start somewhere.

Santosh83 2 years ago |

What's the potential to weaponize such advances, say by creating novel prions and so on? I assume powers that be are already playing with the tech hidden away in their bunkers?

bettercaust 2 years ago | |

Probably limited as far as prions go. This particular advancement is in proteins that have sought-after mechanical properties like spider silk.

echelon 2 years ago | |

If you wanted to cultivate prions as a bioweapon, you could already grab them from reservoir sources such as deer and cattle.

nextaccountic 2 years ago |

Maybe off topic, but what means "de novo"? (in Portuguese it means "again" but I can't make sense of this)

This article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_novo_protein_structure_pred... also doesn't mention the etymology

msla 2 years ago | |

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/de_novo

> Borrowed from Latin dē novō (adverb, literally “from the new”), from dē (“from”) + novō, ablative singular of novus (“new”).

> Anew, afresh, from the beginning; without consideration of previous instances, proceedings or determinations.

andreareina 2 years ago | |

"From new". You see it in biochem when there are multiple ways to synthesize something and one of them starts from raw(er) materials. e.g. triglycerides can be made from free fatty acids or can start all the way from glucose. The pathway that starts with glucose is called "de novo lipogenesis".