Deep learning takes protein design to new heights: a Q&A with David Baker

Though a pioneer in protein design, even David Baker has been surprised by the extraordinary rate of progress in the field. What was “lunatic fringe” just a few years ago has become a source of start-ups and a new wave of scientists far and wide who say they are joining the protein design revolution.

Baker was a recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to computational design, along with Demis Hassabis and John Jumper of the Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) unit DeepMind, for their AlphaFold protein structure prediction method. ...