AlphaFold
We explain how AlphaFold predicts protein structures and where its limits are, tracking new versions, the open AlphaFold Database, and its real use in drug discovery.
AlphaFold turned protein structure prediction into a tool for everyone: feed in an amino-acid sequence, get a 3D structure at near-experimental accuracy, free from the AlphaFold Database. Newer work targets protein complexes — interacting protein groups that decide how viruses act and where drugs bind. But prediction isn't proof; lab validation remains the bottleneck. We track versions, the database, and real drug-discovery use.
