IAS Lee Kong Chian Distinguished Professor Public Lecture 6 January 2026 - partner event of GYSS
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“Design of New Protein Functions Using Deep Learning" by Prof David Baker (2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
Proteins mediate the critical processes of life and beautifully solve the challenges faced during the evolution of modern organisms. Our goal is to design a new generation of proteins that address current-day problems not faced during evolution. In contrast to traditional protein engineering efforts, which have focused on modifying naturally occurring proteins, we design new proteins from scratch to optimally solve the problem at hand. Increasingly, we develop and use deep learning methods to design amino acid sequences that are predicted to fold to desired structures and functions. We also produce synthetic genes encoding these sequences and characterize them experimentally. In this talk, I will describe several recent advances in protein design.
About the speaker [More info]:
Prof David Baker is the director of the Institute for Protein Design, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, a professor of biochemistry, and an adjunct professor of genome sciences, bioengineering, chemical engineering, computer science, and physics at the University of Washington. His research group is focused on the design of macromolecular structures and functions. Prof Baker has published over 600 research papers, been granted over 100 patents, and co-founded 21 companies. Over 80 of his mentees have gone on to independent faculty positions.
Prof Baker received his PhD in biochemistry with Randy Schekman at UC Berkeley and did postdoctoral work in biophysics with David Agard at UCSF. Prof Baker is a recipient of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“AI-Driven Foundational Regenerative Medicine" by Prof Hannele Baker (Co-Director, Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington)
For decades, medicine has been reactive—treating disease after damage has already occurred. Today, that paradigm is breaking. The convergence of artificial intelligence, protein design, and stem cell biology now gives us the ability to write biology forward, not merely observe it. We can now design proteins with intent—molecules that do not exist in nature, engineered to precisely control cell fate, tissue regeneration, and healing. When combined with human stem cells, these proteins become programmable biological instructions: telling cells what to become, when to repair, and how to rebuild tissue. Together, they form a new operating system for regenerative medicine—one that can address aging, degeneration, organ failure, vascular disease, and tissue loss at their root cause. Today I will discuss four short success stories of what has already been done with machine learning guided protein design in regenerative medicine..
About the speaker [More info]:
Prof Hannele Ruohola-Baker, PhD is a Professor of Biochemistry and Co-Director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) at the University of Washington. An internationally recognized leader in stem cell biology, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine, Dr Ruohola-Baker’s laboratory investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern stem cell states, tissue regeneration, and disease modeling. Her team integrates AI-designed proteins, organoid systems, and advanced genomic technologies to pioneer strategies for repairing and rebuilding human tissues, with recent breakthroughs in tooth enamel regeneration, vascular stabilization, and direct reprogramming platforms. As a scientific leader, she champions cross-disciplinary collaboration, mentoring the next generation of scientists, and driving forward the vision of AI-Driven Foundational Regenerative Medicine to transform human health.