Zhenhao Fang, Joshua Saskin, Seok-Hoon Lee, Charles Zou, Shan Xin, Xiaoyu Huang, Xingxin Pan, Chuanpeng Dong, Ardavan Abiri, Yanzhi Feng, Nidhi Sahni, S Stephen Yi, Lei Peng, Sidi Chen
{"title":"Discovery and design of potent cell surface display elements.","authors":"Zhenhao Fang, Joshua Saskin, Seok-Hoon Lee, Charles Zou, Shan Xin, Xiaoyu Huang, Xingxin Pan, Chuanpeng Dong, Ardavan Abiri, Yanzhi Feng, Nidhi Sahni, S Stephen Yi, Lei Peng, Sidi Chen","doi":"10.1038/s41587-026-03144-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41587-026-03144-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cell surface display (CSD) elements are a major class of bioengineering modules, but systematic rules linking CSD sequence to functional potency are lacking. Here we develop DeepSCan, a suite of deep learning and artificial intelligence models to systematically map CSD sequence-function relationships to reliably capture potent elements' conserved features and iteratively design and develop potent de novo CSD modules for mRNA antigen display. We experimentally quantify surface expression across >570 chimeric antigens, derive cell surface translocation strength labels for ~310 CSD elements and compile ~45 independent training datasets. We train three generations of DeepSCan models and evaluate their performance. Guided by these models, we computationally design 3,700 and experimentally validate approximately 120 generative CSDs, identifying 7 generative CSDs that match or exceed the cell surface translocation strength of the most potent naturally occurring CSDs. Enhanced surface displays are validated across multiple cell types and are functional in an antigen-specific CAR-T cytotoxicity assay.</p>","PeriodicalId":19084,"journal":{"name":"Nature biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":44.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148727023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alvin Hsu, Peter J Chen, Angus H Li, Colin F Hemez, Xin D Gao, Markus Terrey, Charlie Nelson, Vijay Selvam, Ana Cristian, Amber N McElroy, Benjamin J Steinbeck, Gandhar K Mahadeshwar, Smriti Pandey, Zachary Barsdale, Paul Z Chen, Alexander A Sousa, Holt A Sakai, Rachel A Silverstein, Ilias Morad, Ryan K Krueger, Max W Shen, Benjamin P Kleinstiver, Cathleen M Lutz, Jakub Tolar, Bruce R Blazar, Mark J Osborn, David R Liu
{"title":"Mechanistic machine learning for prediction of prime editing outcomes.","authors":"Alvin Hsu, Peter J Chen, Angus H Li, Colin F Hemez, Xin D Gao, Markus Terrey, Charlie Nelson, Vijay Selvam, Ana Cristian, Amber N McElroy, Benjamin J Steinbeck, Gandhar K Mahadeshwar, Smriti Pandey, Zachary Barsdale, Paul Z Chen, Alexander A Sousa, Holt A Sakai, Rachel A Silverstein, Ilias Morad, Ryan K Krueger, Max W Shen, Benjamin P Kleinstiver, Cathleen M Lutz, Jakub Tolar, Bruce R Blazar, Mark J Osborn, David R Liu","doi":"10.1038/s41587-026-03261-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41587-026-03261-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prime editing (PE) can make specific local changes to genomic DNA in living systems but its efficient application currently requires extensive optimization of PE guide RNA (pegRNA) sequences. Here we present OptiPrime, a machine learning model of PE efficiency based on current understanding of PE mechanisms. OptiPrime achieves state-of-the-art accuracy on PE efficiency prediction and enables prediction of nicking guide RNA (PE3) and dual pegRNA (twinPE) outcomes. We validate that OptiPrime has learned the determinants of mammalian mismatch repair (MMR) and is well suited for nominating MMR-evasive silent edits that improve PE efficiency. We demonstrate the use of OptiPrime in a variety of prospective therapeutic contexts in primary human and mouse cells. Lastly, we show that OptiPrime can be used to achieve streamlined and efficient in vivo correction of a pathogenic mutation in the brain of a mouse model of KIF1A-associated neurological disorder. We provide a webserver for OptiPrime ( https://optipri.me/ ) as a community resource.</p>","PeriodicalId":19084,"journal":{"name":"Nature biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":44.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148725415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Menstrualome aids difficult endometriosis diagnosis","authors":"Carrie Arnold","doi":"10.1038/s41587-026-03265-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41587-026-03265-3","url":null,"abstract":"From circulating microRNAs to menstrual-fluid transcriptomics, biotech companies are betting on radically different biomarkers to detect a disease that still lacks a clear molecular definition.","PeriodicalId":19084,"journal":{"name":"Nature biotechnology","volume":"44 8","pages":"1247-1249"},"PeriodicalIF":44.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Killing resistant tumors with a click","authors":"Dario Ummarino","doi":"10.1038/s41587-026-03275-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41587-026-03275-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19084,"journal":{"name":"Nature biotechnology","volume":"44 8","pages":"1281-1281"},"PeriodicalIF":44.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"People","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41587-026-03257-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41587-026-03257-3","url":null,"abstract":"Recent moves of note in and around the biotech and pharma industries.","PeriodicalId":19084,"journal":{"name":"Nature biotechnology","volume":"44 8","pages":"1412-1412"},"PeriodicalIF":44.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Garth W. Strohbehn, S. Sean Tu, Xiaodong Wang, Mark J. Ratain
{"title":"From cabozantinib to zanzalintinib: obvious chemical modifications as a new frontier in product hopping","authors":"Garth W. Strohbehn, S. Sean Tu, Xiaodong Wang, Mark J. Ratain","doi":"10.1038/s41587-026-03242-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41587-026-03242-w","url":null,"abstract":"Obvious chemical substitutions could be used to generate powerful new composition-of-matter patents, highlighting the need for patent and antitrust policy reforms that better separate strategic pursuit of exclusivity from true therapeutic innovation.","PeriodicalId":19084,"journal":{"name":"Nature biotechnology","volume":"44 8","pages":"1274-1279"},"PeriodicalIF":44.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tech giants plunge into life sciences","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41587-026-03271-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41587-026-03271-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19084,"journal":{"name":"Nature biotechnology","volume":"44 8","pages":"1248-1248"},"PeriodicalIF":44.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michel Nofal, Raquel Ferrer-Espada, Payel Ganguly, Mayank Chugh
{"title":"The invisible tax of US visa bureaucracy on international scholars","authors":"Michel Nofal, Raquel Ferrer-Espada, Payel Ganguly, Mayank Chugh","doi":"10.1038/s41587-026-03252-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41587-026-03252-8","url":null,"abstract":"Survey data document US visa types and burdens of time, cost and mental health among international postdocs.","PeriodicalId":19084,"journal":{"name":"Nature biotechnology","volume":"44 8","pages":"1406-1410"},"PeriodicalIF":44.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}