The same method that teaches an LLM which answers people prefer can teach a protein model which sequences are more stable.
This is the basis for ProteinDPO, developed by Innovation Investigator @BrianHie, @talaldotpdb, and team.
Arc Institute
@arcinstitute
A full-stack institute for AI and biology research.
- In 2024, we introduced universal DNA rearrangement with bridge RNA. Now, in @Nature, @pdhsu @hnisimasu & team solve the structural mechanism of bridge excision—how the complex assembles for intramolecular recombination—yielding new engineering handles for programmable biology.
- One of our most popular preprints of 2025 is now published in @ScienceMagazine. Congrats to @BrianHie, @samuelhking, and team on establishing a framework for generating and evaluating AI-generated genomes. - Access the paper: science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…In a new preprint from @BrianHie’s lab, the team reports the first generative design of viable bacteriophage genomes. Leveraging Evo 1 & Evo 2, they generated whole genome sequences, resulting in 16 viable phages with distinct genomic architectures.
- Pre-registration for the 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge opens today. Start building your team and say hello in our Discord. The full competition launches August 20. virtualcellchallenge.org
- The Proto team from @BrianHie's lab will be at the re:AGENT hackathon, a two-day weekend (8/15–8/16) in San Francisco for people interested in building AI scientists, datasets, or pipelines for biological design. Apply by Thursday, July 30th, 12 PM PT at luma.com/g6org075
