Song YANG's research on developing the Multiple-Basin Gō-Martini method has been published online in JCTC (Link). The study introduces this new coarse-grained simulation technique to simulate spontaneous protein conformational transitions and reveals detailed insights into how proteins, especially membrane proteins, interact with their environment like lipid membranes. Notably, using the developed method, Song successfuly simulated the mechanosensitive ion channel TRAAK's "Down-Up" transitions under near-physiological membrane surface tension, detailing how lipid molecules interact with the protein during this process.

This work provides new tools and understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing protein dynamics and their environmental coupling. Congratulations to Dr. Song YANG on this nice achievement!

On April 27, 2025, Dr. Chen Song was invited to deliver a presentation at "The 18^th Chinese Chemical Society National Conference on Computer Chemistry of China", held in Xi'an. He introduced Ruihan's research on Virtual Directed Evolution of Antimicrobial Peptides through Deep Reinforcement Learning. The draft of this work is available on bioRxiv.

On April 19, 2025, Dr. Chen Song was invited to deliver a talk at "The 7^th National Conference of Protein & Peptide Chemical Biology" held in Qingdao. He introduced Jiaxuan's research on mechanism-driven screening of antimicrobial peptides. This work will be submitted to bioRxiv soon. Ruihan attended the conference too.

On April 9, 2025, Prof. Charles Cox from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute was invited by Prof. Chen Song to deliver a CQB seminar titled "A new family of PIEZO channel auxiliary subunits". He introduced his team's discovery of MyoD-family inhibitor proteins (MDFIC and MDFI) as auxiliary subunits of PIEZO1/2 channels. Cryo-EM studies revealed their direct binding to PIEZO2's pore module. Prof. Charles Cox provides extensive data, highlighting their role as key regulators integrating mechanical signals into transcriptional pathways.

Qingyang's study on glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) has been published online in the J. Mol. Biol. (Link). Conducted in collaboration with Prof. Luhua Lai's lab, the research combines multiscale molecular dynamics simulations with experimental assays to reveal the detailed physical interactions between GPx4 and membranes composed of different phospholipids, and their peroxidized derivatives.

This work provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of GPx4-membrane interactions. Congratulations to Qingyang on this significant achievement!

On March 31, 2025, the project kick-off meeting of the National Key R&D Program, "Principles of membrane protein design as functional modules", was launched at Peking University. Leaders from the China National Center for Biotechnology Development and Peking University attended, alongside experts from top institutions.

Project leader Prof. Chen Song highlighted the integration of AI and physics-driven methods to address challenges in membrane protein design, aiming for applications in biomanufacturing, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. Experts stressed collaboration and practical impact.

Now in its implementation phase, the five-year project aims to advance synthetic biology and drive innovation in biotechnology.

We are delighted to welcome Yiechang (YC) Lin to our group! Yiechang holds a PhD from the Australian National University and brings a strong passion for studying lipid-protein interactions, membrane proteins, and leveraging AlphaFold to tackle key biological questions. Once again, welcome aboard, YC!

As we close the chapter on 2024, CQB annual meeting (2024) was held on January 4, 2025. Jingze presented her research on the molecular mechanics study of the ion channel NOMPC and was awarded the scholarship of quantitative biology. Lingfeng and Zefeng received the second and third prizes for their poster presentations, respectively. Additionally, the group members have excelled in their contributions this year. Congratulations!!

Invited by the the Ministry of Education, Prof. Chen Song and collaborators designed a showcase class for the future AI-assisted education at the Global MOOC and Online Education Conference 2024, held in London on December 12th, 2024. Prof. Chen Song and Prof. Sai Li co-developed this class of computational biology, an interdisciplinary field deeply influenced by AI. Zefeng Zhu and Ruihan Dong from Song Group participated in the development as well as the live demonstration of the class in London.