{"slug":"protein-design","topic":"protein-design","title":"AI Protein Design & Structure Prediction: State of the Field (October 2026)","summary":"Covers single-chain and complex structure prediction, deep-learning sequence design and de novo binder design as of late October 2026. The main takeaway: structure prediction is now a routine input to design, but experimental hit rates, affinity claims and confidence scores still vary widely by method, target and assay.","version":1,"published_at":"2026-10-30","updated_at":"2026-10-30","stats":{"words":3082,"citations":41,"claims":29,"timeline":14,"benchmarks":8,"open_problems":6,"key_papers":14,"glossary":12},"verification":{"status":"verified","method":"automated figure and citation-relevance triage against cited abstracts, targeted AI review with web checks of flagged statements, and a close-out pass hedging or removing unconfirmed statements; automated citation resolution","claims_checked":29,"issues_fixed":4,"verified_at":"2026-10-30"},"ai_assisted":true,"price":{"usd":"0.20","protocol":"x402","network":"eip155:84532","asset":"USDC"},"url":"https://space-kitty.com/dossiers/protein-design","preview_url":"https://space-kitty.com/api/v1/dossiers/protein-design/preview","purchase_url":"https://space-kitty.com/api/v1/dossiers/protein-design","toc":[{"level":2,"text":"Executive summary","anchor":"executive-summary"},{"level":2,"text":"Background and core concepts","anchor":"background-and-core-concepts"},{"level":2,"text":"Timeline of key milestones","anchor":"timeline-of-key-milestones"},{"level":2,"text":"State of the art","anchor":"state-of-the-art"},{"level":3,"text":"Single-chain and complex structure prediction","anchor":"single-chain-and-complex-structure-prediction"},{"level":3,"text":"Conformational states and disorder","anchor":"conformational-states-and-disorder"},{"level":3,"text":"Sequence design and protein language models","anchor":"sequence-design-and-protein-language-models"},{"level":3,"text":"Backbone generation and binder design","anchor":"backbone-generation-and-binder-design"},{"level":3,"text":"Quantitative benchmarks","anchor":"quantitative-benchmarks"},{"level":2,"text":"Open problems and active debates","anchor":"open-problems-and-active-debates"},{"level":2,"text":"Major programs and players","anchor":"major-programs-and-players"},{"level":2,"text":"Outlook: what to watch (near term)","anchor":"outlook-what-to-watch-near-term"},{"level":2,"text":"Key papers","anchor":"key-papers"},{"level":2,"text":"Glossary","anchor":"glossary"}],"sample_claims":["AlphaFold 2 reached a median backbone accuracy of about 0.96 Å (RMSD95) on CASP14 targets, substantially ahead of the other CASP14 entries.","The AlphaFold Protein Structure Database exceeded 214 million predicted structures in its 2023 update, which was published in the 2024 database volume."],"includes":["markdown","claims","timeline","benchmarks","open_problems","key_papers","glossary","bibliography"],"citation_count":41,"how_to_buy":"GET https://space-kitty.com/api/v1/dossiers/protein-design with an x402 client ($0.20, USDC on Base Sepolia (testnet))."}