UC Davis Genome Center Spotlight: CASP and the Nobel Prize-Winning Breakthrough of AlphaFold

The groundbreaking work of John Jumper and Demis Hassabis from DeepMind and David Baker from the University of Washington, which earned them the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has deep roots in the global scientific initiative known as the Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP). This biennial project, co-founded by UC Davis Genome Center’s Dr. Krzysztof Fidelis and Professor John Moult (University of Maryland) in 1994, played a pivotal role in the development and validation of AlphaFold, the revolutionary AI system that solved the decades-long “protein folding problem.”

 
The Nobel Prize was awarded for the extraordinary achievement of predicting the 3D structures of nearly all known proteins, a challenge that has stood at the forefront of biology for over 50 years. AlphaFold’s success demonstrated at CASP14, was a direct result of the rigorous, blind-testing environment provided by CASP. Under the leadership of Drs. Moult, Fidelis, and Andriy Kryshtafovych (UC Davis Genome Center), CASP has been the gold standard for assessing the accuracy of protein structure predictions, setting the stage for this once-in-a-generation breakthrough in computational biology.

AlphaFold’s predictions, validated through CASP’s independent testing framework, have transformed the field of structural biology, accelerating discoveries in areas ranging from drug development to environmental sustainability. The Nobel Prize not only highlights the scientific triumph of AlphaFold but also underscores the importance of the collaborative research community fostered by CASP, which has been instrumental in driving advancements in protein structure prediction.

As key figures in this global effort, Drs. Fidelis and Kryshtafovych and the UC Davis Genome Center celebrate the Nobel recognition of AlphaFold, reflecting CASP’s critical role in facilitating this monumental leap forward in biological science. The continued success of CASP ensures that the frontier of protein science will remain open for future discoveries, driven by collaboration, innovation, and rigorous scientific testing.