Ranomics
De novo protein binder designed by BoltzGen docked against a target protein structure, rendered in cartoon representation
Binder design

BoltzGen all-atom de novo binder design

BoltzGen is an open-source all-atom generative diffusion model for de novo binder design from the MIT Jameel Clinic. It reasons over every atom of the binder it builds, not just the backbone, and each candidate is inverse-folded and refolded to check it holds the intended structure before it reaches you.

Hosted self-serve at tools.ranomics.com. Upload a target structure, mark the epitope hotspots, and get ranked binder candidates back.

One of several de novo binder generators on the platform. Run it on its own, or alongside RFdiffusion and BindCraft when you want maximum scaffold diversity.

How it works

From target structure to refolded binder candidates

01

Define the target

Upload a PDB or mmCIF of your target chain and mark the hotspot residues that define the epitope. Use Epitope Scout upstream if you need help choosing them.

02

BoltzGen generation

The all-atom diffusion model samples binder candidates against the target and hotspots, reasoning over side-chain atoms during design rather than the backbone alone.

03

Inverse-fold and refold

Each design is inverse-folded to a sequence, then refolded and scored for self-consistency on refolding RMSD, ipTM, and pLDDT. Designs that do not refold to the intended complex are flagged.

04

Ranked candidates

Top designs returned with confidence metrics, designed sequence, and a PDB of the predicted complex. Ready for ProteinMPNN refinement, yeast display validation, or downstream wet-lab handoff.

Methodology

One open pipeline, generation and self-consistency validation

BoltzGen is an open-source all-atom generative diffusion model for universal binder design from the MIT Jameel Clinic (Stärk et al., 2025), released under an MIT license. Its bundled pipeline inverse-folds and refolds every design to check structural self-consistency before handoff.

Foundation

All-atom diffusion generator

BoltzGen is an all-atom generative diffusion model trained to design binders directly against a biomolecular target. Because it reasons over side-chain atoms and not just the protein backbone, it packs the interface during generation rather than deferring every sequence choice to a later step. Open weights, MIT license.

Design

Direct binder generation

BoltzGen generates binder candidates conditioned on the target structure and your specified hotspots, sampling backbone and sequence together rather than diffusing a bare backbone first.

Sequence

Inverse folding

Each generated design is inverse-folded to an amino acid sequence with BoltzGen's own inverse-folding module. An optional ProteinMPNN pass can re-design sequences downstream.

Validation

Refolding self-consistency

Every design is refolded from its sequence and compared to the generated complex. Refolding RMSD, ipTM, and pLDDT flag designs that do not reconstitute the intended binding mode.

Access

Open and self-serve

BoltzGen runs self-serve on Ranomics GPU compute, no local install. The same open weights and pipeline the MIT Jameel Clinic released, hosted so you can run it on your target from a browser.

Why this matters

Where an all-atom generator fits

All-atom generation

BoltzGen packs side chains at the interface as it designs, so the sequence and the backbone are chosen together. That is a different design path from backbone-first tools that hand sequence design to a separate step.

Run it in parallel

No single generator wins on every target. BoltzGen runs alongside RFdiffusion and BindCraft in our campaigns, and the yeast display screen decides which designs actually bind. Diversity across generators is the point.

Open and reproducible

BoltzGen and its pipeline are open source under an MIT license. What runs on the platform is the released model, so a result is reproducible outside our walls.

When to use BoltzGen

A complementary generator in a multi-tool campaign

For most de novo binder work, BoltzGen, RFdiffusion, and BindCraft are complementary generators, and the right move is to run more than one and let the assay decide. BoltzGen is a strong pick when you want an all-atom generator that chooses backbone and sequence together.

Run it alongside RFdiffusion and BindCraft for maximum diversity on a hard target, or on its own for a fast de novo pass against a structurally defined epitope.

De novo binders against a structurally defined target with known hotspots

A fast first pass to see whether a target is designable before committing to a multi-tool campaign

Adding generator diversity to an RFdiffusion or BindCraft pool before pooled screening

Targets where you want the sequence chosen during backbone generation rather than in a separate step

Any de novo binder shortlist headed for yeast display validation

Design de novo binders against your target

Create a free tools.ranomics.com account and run BoltzGen on a structurally defined target. Ranked, refolded candidates ready for handoff.