Citizen scientists can now use Foldit to successfully design synthetic proteins. The initial results of this unique collaboration are described in Nature. Brian Koepnick, a recent PhD graduate in the Baker lab, led a team that worked on Foldit behind the scenes, introducing new features into the game that they believed would help players home in on better folded structures. Read more from the [Link] Baker Lab. Thanks to all Rosetta@home participants who helped in this study. Many of the designs were validated using forward folding on Rosetta@home. Read the full manuscript: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1274-4 [Link] PDF

By rosetta@home at 2019-06-06

Researchers in the King lab, an affiliate of the Institute for Protein Design, published [Link] a report in Cell describing a computer-designed nanoparticle vaccine targeting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Although Rosetta@home was not directly used for this study, Rosetta@home volunteers provided computing for related research and development. From [Link] IPD news: Millions of children will visit hospitals this year, sickened by RSV. Infection is usually mild, causing only fevers, runny noses and frightened parents. But, in severe cases, barking coughs and painful wheezing can indicate serious respiratory complications, including bronchiolitis and pneumonia. RSV is the primary cause of pneumonia in children under one and is therefore the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide after malaria. Although virtually every child on Earth will get RSV before the age of three, an estimated 99 percent of RSV deaths occur in developing countries. Despite substantial effort, there is not yet a safe and effective vaccine. Today, an international team of scientists co-led by researchers at the IPD report in Cell a first-of-its-kind vaccine candidate for RSV. It elicits broadly neutralizing antibodies against respiratory syncytial virus in mice and monkeys, paving the way for human clinical trials.

By rosetta@home at 2019-03-08

A report was published in Nature last week describing the first de novo designed proteins with anti-cancer activity. These compact molecules were designed to stimulate the same receptors as IL-2, a powerful immunotherapeutic drug, while avoiding unwanted off-target receptor interactions. We believe this is just the first of many computer-generated cancer drugs with enhanced specificity and potency. R@h participants provided computing for forward folding experiments used in this study which helped validate designs. We'd like to congratulate and thank all R@h volunteers who contributed to this work! Thank you! Read the full article here: [Link] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0830-7 ([Link] PDF)

By rosetta@home at 2019-01-14