The Align Foundation
@alignbio.bsky.social
Improving life science with programmable experiments. 🧬 🤖 Home of the Protein Engineering Tournament & Open Datasets Initiative.
5/5
We understand this may cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience and continued support as we work to deliver a high-quality, impactful Tournament. For any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected]
We understand this may cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience and continued support as we work to deliver a high-quality, impactful Tournament. For any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected]
October 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
5/5
We understand this may cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience and continued support as we work to deliver a high-quality, impactful Tournament. For any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected]
We understand this may cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience and continued support as we work to deliver a high-quality, impactful Tournament. For any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected]
4/5
The new timeline is as follows:
-Registration deadline: Nov. 14th 2025
Predictive phase:
-Zero-shot track: Dec. 1st 2025 to Jan. 16th 2026
-Supervised track: Jan. 26th to Feb. 20th 2026
Generative phase:
-Round-1: Mar. 9th to Apr. 3rd 2026
-Round-2: Jul. 20th to Aug. 14th 2026
The new timeline is as follows:
-Registration deadline: Nov. 14th 2025
Predictive phase:
-Zero-shot track: Dec. 1st 2025 to Jan. 16th 2026
-Supervised track: Jan. 26th to Feb. 20th 2026
Generative phase:
-Round-1: Mar. 9th to Apr. 3rd 2026
-Round-2: Jul. 20th to Aug. 14th 2026
October 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
4/5
The new timeline is as follows:
-Registration deadline: Nov. 14th 2025
Predictive phase:
-Zero-shot track: Dec. 1st 2025 to Jan. 16th 2026
-Supervised track: Jan. 26th to Feb. 20th 2026
Generative phase:
-Round-1: Mar. 9th to Apr. 3rd 2026
-Round-2: Jul. 20th to Aug. 14th 2026
The new timeline is as follows:
-Registration deadline: Nov. 14th 2025
Predictive phase:
-Zero-shot track: Dec. 1st 2025 to Jan. 16th 2026
-Supervised track: Jan. 26th to Feb. 20th 2026
Generative phase:
-Round-1: Mar. 9th to Apr. 3rd 2026
-Round-2: Jul. 20th to Aug. 14th 2026
3/5
The Tournament will establish the first-of-its-kind benchmark for predictive and generative AI/ML models in engineering PETases. We remain committed to enabling real-world, transparent, and accessible benchmarking competitions, and this adjustment is to uphold that commitment.
The Tournament will establish the first-of-its-kind benchmark for predictive and generative AI/ML models in engineering PETases. We remain committed to enabling real-world, transparent, and accessible benchmarking competitions, and this adjustment is to uphold that commitment.
October 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
3/5
The Tournament will establish the first-of-its-kind benchmark for predictive and generative AI/ML models in engineering PETases. We remain committed to enabling real-world, transparent, and accessible benchmarking competitions, and this adjustment is to uphold that commitment.
The Tournament will establish the first-of-its-kind benchmark for predictive and generative AI/ML models in engineering PETases. We remain committed to enabling real-world, transparent, and accessible benchmarking competitions, and this adjustment is to uphold that commitment.
2/5
This additional time will allow us to:
•Complete the generation of a high-quality training dataset 🧬🧪
•Secure the best sponsorships to expand access to the Tournament 🖥️💪
•Register more participants 👥🚀
This additional time will allow us to:
•Complete the generation of a high-quality training dataset 🧬🧪
•Secure the best sponsorships to expand access to the Tournament 🖥️💪
•Register more participants 👥🚀
October 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
2/5
This additional time will allow us to:
•Complete the generation of a high-quality training dataset 🧬🧪
•Secure the best sponsorships to expand access to the Tournament 🖥️💪
•Register more participants 👥🚀
This additional time will allow us to:
•Complete the generation of a high-quality training dataset 🧬🧪
•Secure the best sponsorships to expand access to the Tournament 🖥️💪
•Register more participants 👥🚀
1/5
To ensure the highest impact and participation, we are adjusting the timeline of the Protein Engineering Tournament. The Tournament will now begin on December 1st, 2025.
To ensure the highest impact and participation, we are adjusting the timeline of the Protein Engineering Tournament. The Tournament will now begin on December 1st, 2025.
October 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
1/5
To ensure the highest impact and participation, we are adjusting the timeline of the Protein Engineering Tournament. The Tournament will now begin on December 1st, 2025.
To ensure the highest impact and participation, we are adjusting the timeline of the Protein Engineering Tournament. The Tournament will now begin on December 1st, 2025.
Reposted by The Align Foundation
🧫 Meet the keynote speakers for the 2025 scverse conference!
Erika Alden DeBenedictis, Co-founder of The Align Foundation & CEO of Pioneer Labs
@erika-alden.bsky.social
@alignbio.bsky.social
@pioneerlabs.bsky.social
#scverse #scverse2025 #StructuralBiology #Biotech #Stanford
Erika Alden DeBenedictis, Co-founder of The Align Foundation & CEO of Pioneer Labs
@erika-alden.bsky.social
@alignbio.bsky.social
@pioneerlabs.bsky.social
#scverse #scverse2025 #StructuralBiology #Biotech #Stanford
August 26, 2025 at 2:36 PM
🧫 Meet the keynote speakers for the 2025 scverse conference!
Erika Alden DeBenedictis, Co-founder of The Align Foundation & CEO of Pioneer Labs
@erika-alden.bsky.social
@alignbio.bsky.social
@pioneerlabs.bsky.social
#scverse #scverse2025 #StructuralBiology #Biotech #Stanford
Erika Alden DeBenedictis, Co-founder of The Align Foundation & CEO of Pioneer Labs
@erika-alden.bsky.social
@alignbio.bsky.social
@pioneerlabs.bsky.social
#scverse #scverse2025 #StructuralBiology #Biotech #Stanford
Register before Oct. 17 👉 alignbio.org/get-involved...
More about EvolutionaryScale’s API (Forge) 👉 forge.evolutionaryscale.ai
More about EvolutionaryScale’s API (Forge) 👉 forge.evolutionaryscale.ai
August 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Register before Oct. 17 👉 alignbio.org/get-involved...
More about EvolutionaryScale’s API (Forge) 👉 forge.evolutionaryscale.ai
More about EvolutionaryScale’s API (Forge) 👉 forge.evolutionaryscale.ai
📣 Evolutionary Scale is supporting the 2025 Protein Engineering Tournament!
Teams get sponsored ESM inference through
@evolutionaryscale.bsky.social's API (Forge), bringing frontier protein AI models into the competition.
Level playing field, real experiments, open results. Register now 👇
Teams get sponsored ESM inference through
@evolutionaryscale.bsky.social's API (Forge), bringing frontier protein AI models into the competition.
Level playing field, real experiments, open results. Register now 👇
August 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM
📣 Evolutionary Scale is supporting the 2025 Protein Engineering Tournament!
Teams get sponsored ESM inference through
@evolutionaryscale.bsky.social's API (Forge), bringing frontier protein AI models into the competition.
Level playing field, real experiments, open results. Register now 👇
Teams get sponsored ESM inference through
@evolutionaryscale.bsky.social's API (Forge), bringing frontier protein AI models into the competition.
Level playing field, real experiments, open results. Register now 👇
Thrilled to welcome Amanda Reider Apel to The Align Foundation as Director of Protein Projects! 🚀 A biotech leader who builds high-impact science and thriving teams, she’ll drive protein engineering strategy while fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
August 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Thrilled to welcome Amanda Reider Apel to The Align Foundation as Director of Protein Projects! 🚀 A biotech leader who builds high-impact science and thriving teams, she’ll drive protein engineering strategy while fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
Why PETase for our tournament? In 2024, the world made about 30 million tonnes of PET plastic, most from fossil fuels.
PETase can degrade PET, but isn’t ready for industrial-scale waste. The challenge: design an improved variant that can change that.
Register by Oct 17 alignbio.org/protein-engi...
PETase can degrade PET, but isn’t ready for industrial-scale waste. The challenge: design an improved variant that can change that.
Register by Oct 17 alignbio.org/protein-engi...
August 13, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Why PETase for our tournament? In 2024, the world made about 30 million tonnes of PET plastic, most from fossil fuels.
PETase can degrade PET, but isn’t ready for industrial-scale waste. The challenge: design an improved variant that can change that.
Register by Oct 17 alignbio.org/protein-engi...
PETase can degrade PET, but isn’t ready for industrial-scale waste. The challenge: design an improved variant that can change that.
Register by Oct 17 alignbio.org/protein-engi...
4/4
What’s coming:
→ More protein functions
→ Sharper ML strategies
→ Public data access portal
→ And yes—we’re hiring.
🔗 alignbio.org/careers
#openbiology #machinelearning #proteinfunction #bioengineering
What’s coming:
→ More protein functions
→ Sharper ML strategies
→ Public data access portal
→ And yes—we’re hiring.
🔗 alignbio.org/careers
#openbiology #machinelearning #proteinfunction #bioengineering
Careers — Align to Innovate
alignbio.org
July 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
4/4
What’s coming:
→ More protein functions
→ Sharper ML strategies
→ Public data access portal
→ And yes—we’re hiring.
🔗 alignbio.org/careers
#openbiology #machinelearning #proteinfunction #bioengineering
What’s coming:
→ More protein functions
→ Sharper ML strategies
→ Public data access portal
→ And yes—we’re hiring.
🔗 alignbio.org/careers
#openbiology #machinelearning #proteinfunction #bioengineering
3/4
GROQ-seq is designed for reproducibility.
Standardized assays + distributed data collection = a foundation for robust, ML-ready protein function data.
Next: scale up function types, refine ML pipelines, expand access.
GROQ-seq is designed for reproducibility.
Standardized assays + distributed data collection = a foundation for robust, ML-ready protein function data.
Next: scale up function types, refine ML pipelines, expand access.
July 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
3/4
GROQ-seq is designed for reproducibility.
Standardized assays + distributed data collection = a foundation for robust, ML-ready protein function data.
Next: scale up function types, refine ML pipelines, expand access.
GROQ-seq is designed for reproducibility.
Standardized assays + distributed data collection = a foundation for robust, ML-ready protein function data.
Next: scale up function types, refine ML pipelines, expand access.
2/4
🧪 Year One in brief:
Started onboarding 6 protein function types
Launched multi-site runs at NIST + DAMP Lab
Achieved 100K–500K variant throughput per run
Standardized, modular, reproducible, open-source
📘 Full report: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
🧪 Year One in brief:
Started onboarding 6 protein function types
Launched multi-site runs at NIST + DAMP Lab
Achieved 100K–500K variant throughput per run
Standardized, modular, reproducible, open-source
📘 Full report: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Year One Report: Growth-based Quantitative Sequencing (GROQ-Seq) Platform
This report summarizes the first year of development and deployment of the Growth-based Quantitative Sequencing (GROQ-seq) platform, a pooled functional assay pipeline for large-scale, reproducible me...
doi.org
July 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
2/4
🧪 Year One in brief:
Started onboarding 6 protein function types
Launched multi-site runs at NIST + DAMP Lab
Achieved 100K–500K variant throughput per run
Standardized, modular, reproducible, open-source
📘 Full report: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
🧪 Year One in brief:
Started onboarding 6 protein function types
Launched multi-site runs at NIST + DAMP Lab
Achieved 100K–500K variant throughput per run
Standardized, modular, reproducible, open-source
📘 Full report: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
1/4 We just published the 1st-year update on GROQ-seq: an open access, high-throughput experimental platform capable of testing hundreds of thousands of protein variants per run, running @ NIST and the DAMP Lab. Here’s what we built, learned, and what’s next:
#GROQseq #syntheticbiology
#GROQseq #syntheticbiology
July 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
1/4 We just published the 1st-year update on GROQ-seq: an open access, high-throughput experimental platform capable of testing hundreds of thousands of protein variants per run, running @ NIST and the DAMP Lab. Here’s what we built, learned, and what’s next:
#GROQseq #syntheticbiology
#GROQseq #syntheticbiology
🔗 Sign up by Oct 17 → bit.ly/Tournament25
🔗 Want to read more? Last year’s amalyase engineering competition was recently published in PROTEINS: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#AIforBiology #ProteinDesign #ClimateTech
🔗 Want to read more? Last year’s amalyase engineering competition was recently published in PROTEINS: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#AIforBiology #ProteinDesign #ClimateTech
2025 Tournament — Align to Innovate
bit.ly
July 8, 2025 at 4:27 PM
🔗 Sign up by Oct 17 → bit.ly/Tournament25
🔗 Want to read more? Last year’s amalyase engineering competition was recently published in PROTEINS: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#AIforBiology #ProteinDesign #ClimateTech
🔗 Want to read more? Last year’s amalyase engineering competition was recently published in PROTEINS: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#AIforBiology #ProteinDesign #ClimateTech
4/4
🏆 Why join?:
• $30K in cash prizes
• Free DNA synthesis + wet lab testing
• Leaderboard visibility
• Publication in a special issue of Proteins
• Sponsored conference presentations
🏆 Why join?:
• $30K in cash prizes
• Free DNA synthesis + wet lab testing
• Leaderboard visibility
• Publication in a special issue of Proteins
• Sponsored conference presentations
2025 Tournament — Align to Innovate
bit.ly
July 8, 2025 at 4:27 PM
4/4
🏆 Why join?:
• $30K in cash prizes
• Free DNA synthesis + wet lab testing
• Leaderboard visibility
• Publication in a special issue of Proteins
• Sponsored conference presentations
🏆 Why join?:
• $30K in cash prizes
• Free DNA synthesis + wet lab testing
• Leaderboard visibility
• Publication in a special issue of Proteins
• Sponsored conference presentations
3/4
The tournament has two phases:
🔹 *Predictive* (Nov 3 – Dec 23):
Predict PETase sequence properties
🔹 *Generative* (Jan 5 – Apr 10): Design novel sequences to maximize enzyme activity.
Every submission is synthesized and tested.
The tournament has two phases:
🔹 *Predictive* (Nov 3 – Dec 23):
Predict PETase sequence properties
🔹 *Generative* (Jan 5 – Apr 10): Design novel sequences to maximize enzyme activity.
Every submission is synthesized and tested.
July 8, 2025 at 4:27 PM
3/4
The tournament has two phases:
🔹 *Predictive* (Nov 3 – Dec 23):
Predict PETase sequence properties
🔹 *Generative* (Jan 5 – Apr 10): Design novel sequences to maximize enzyme activity.
Every submission is synthesized and tested.
The tournament has two phases:
🔹 *Predictive* (Nov 3 – Dec 23):
Predict PETase sequence properties
🔹 *Generative* (Jan 5 – Apr 10): Design novel sequences to maximize enzyme activity.
Every submission is synthesized and tested.
2/4
This is a *lab-validated* benchmark competition for real protein function.
The winner will be determined by experiment. We’ll test:
🔥 Enzymatic activity at high temperatures
🧬 Protein expression
Results go straight to the leaderboard.
🔗 Register by Oct. 17: bit.ly/Tournament25
This is a *lab-validated* benchmark competition for real protein function.
The winner will be determined by experiment. We’ll test:
🔥 Enzymatic activity at high temperatures
🧬 Protein expression
Results go straight to the leaderboard.
🔗 Register by Oct. 17: bit.ly/Tournament25
2025 Tournament — Align to Innovate
bit.ly
July 8, 2025 at 4:27 PM
2/4
This is a *lab-validated* benchmark competition for real protein function.
The winner will be determined by experiment. We’ll test:
🔥 Enzymatic activity at high temperatures
🧬 Protein expression
Results go straight to the leaderboard.
🔗 Register by Oct. 17: bit.ly/Tournament25
This is a *lab-validated* benchmark competition for real protein function.
The winner will be determined by experiment. We’ll test:
🔥 Enzymatic activity at high temperatures
🧬 Protein expression
Results go straight to the leaderboard.
🔗 Register by Oct. 17: bit.ly/Tournament25
1/4
🚀 Announcing the 2025 Protein Engineering Tournament.
This year’s challenge: design PETase enzymes, which degrade the type of plastic in bottles. Can AI-guided protein design help solve the climate crisis? Let’s find out! ⬇️
#AIforBiology #ClimateTech #ProteinEngineering #OpenScience
🚀 Announcing the 2025 Protein Engineering Tournament.
This year’s challenge: design PETase enzymes, which degrade the type of plastic in bottles. Can AI-guided protein design help solve the climate crisis? Let’s find out! ⬇️
#AIforBiology #ClimateTech #ProteinEngineering #OpenScience
July 8, 2025 at 4:26 PM
1/4
🚀 Announcing the 2025 Protein Engineering Tournament.
This year’s challenge: design PETase enzymes, which degrade the type of plastic in bottles. Can AI-guided protein design help solve the climate crisis? Let’s find out! ⬇️
#AIforBiology #ClimateTech #ProteinEngineering #OpenScience
🚀 Announcing the 2025 Protein Engineering Tournament.
This year’s challenge: design PETase enzymes, which degrade the type of plastic in bottles. Can AI-guided protein design help solve the climate crisis? Let’s find out! ⬇️
#AIforBiology #ClimateTech #ProteinEngineering #OpenScience
Read the news release here: alignbio.org/pressrelease...
June 18, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Read the news release here: alignbio.org/pressrelease...
🧬 Growth + morphology data across diverse conditions
🔗 Linked to genome references with robust metadata
📊 Built for ML training, benchmarking, reproducibility
🙌 Thx to Jensen Lab for their foundational work that helped enable this platform. Lean more here: alignbio.org/datasets-mic...
🔗 Linked to genome references with robust metadata
📊 Built for ML training, benchmarking, reproducibility
🙌 Thx to Jensen Lab for their foundational work that helped enable this platform. Lean more here: alignbio.org/datasets-mic...
June 18, 2025 at 2:00 PM
🧬 Growth + morphology data across diverse conditions
🔗 Linked to genome references with robust metadata
📊 Built for ML training, benchmarking, reproducibility
🙌 Thx to Jensen Lab for their foundational work that helped enable this platform. Lean more here: alignbio.org/datasets-mic...
🔗 Linked to genome references with robust metadata
📊 Built for ML training, benchmarking, reproducibility
🙌 Thx to Jensen Lab for their foundational work that helped enable this platform. Lean more here: alignbio.org/datasets-mic...
🚨 Align × ATCC are partnering to build the world’s largest public microbial phenotyping dataset.
✅ 1K strains
✅ 1K conditions
✅ 1M reproducible experiments
✅ Open access
This experimental platform will use high-throughput automation, linked to ATCC’s authenticated genomes.
✅ 1K strains
✅ 1K conditions
✅ 1M reproducible experiments
✅ Open access
This experimental platform will use high-throughput automation, linked to ATCC’s authenticated genomes.
June 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
🚨 Align × ATCC are partnering to build the world’s largest public microbial phenotyping dataset.
✅ 1K strains
✅ 1K conditions
✅ 1M reproducible experiments
✅ Open access
This experimental platform will use high-throughput automation, linked to ATCC’s authenticated genomes.
✅ 1K strains
✅ 1K conditions
✅ 1M reproducible experiments
✅ Open access
This experimental platform will use high-throughput automation, linked to ATCC’s authenticated genomes.
Align's GROQ-seq platform just turned 1 🎂 it now supports 7 protein function projects across 6 labs worldwide. 300k variants measured per run @ <$0.05 each, and it works. Not theory. Real infrastructure. Open to the world. 🔗 1-year technical report → hubs.la/Q03mSrW_0
May 16, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Align's GROQ-seq platform just turned 1 🎂 it now supports 7 protein function projects across 6 labs worldwide. 300k variants measured per run @ <$0.05 each, and it works. Not theory. Real infrastructure. Open to the world. 🔗 1-year technical report → hubs.la/Q03mSrW_0
7/7 🧵Once operational, the method will be openly available through Align’s Data Portal. The community will be able to request new enzyme measurements – and explore our findings. Stay tuned!
April 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
7/7 🧵Once operational, the method will be openly available through Align’s Data Portal. The community will be able to request new enzyme measurements – and explore our findings. Stay tuned!
6/7 🧵Read the full, peer-reviewed proposal here—work is already underway! zenodo.org/records/1527...
GROQ-seq Platform Expansion: Design of growth-coupled measurements of Dihydrofolate Reductase in vivo Biochemistry
This proposal details the development of a high-throughput, growth-based assay for measuring enzyme kinetics of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) in vivo using the GROQ-seq platform. By ...
zenodo.org
April 28, 2025 at 5:22 PM
6/7 🧵Read the full, peer-reviewed proposal here—work is already underway! zenodo.org/records/1527...