Chuanbao Zheng · Research Areas

Between Design and Experiment

This page tracks my process of fumbling between protein design and wet-lab experiments — from a failed cloning to a successful fold prediction. About Me · Research Logs · Contact

Structure ∩ Design

Protein Design

Protein function is determined by structure, and structure can be designed. I focus on using tools like Rosetta and AlphaFold to gradually refine a vague functional need into a foldable, expressible amino acid sequence. In this process, computational prediction is only the starting point — every design must eventually go back to the wet lab to be tested by expression, purification, and characterization. What I find more interesting is the gap between the two ends: why a protein that a model says should fold doesn't behave in the flask, and conversely, whether those "accidental" successes can feed back into the next round of design. → Protein Design Notes

Experiment ∩ Accumulation

Lab Skills

Good designs have to be delivered by hand. Molecular cloning, protein expression, purification, and characterization are the only way to turn a sequence into verifiable facts. I record every pitfall I've stepped into and every protocol that eventually worked — not to show off success, but to save myself from repeating the same mistakes. These notes are more like a lab manual, written for the version of me who is at the bench at two in the morning and needs an answer. → Lab Skills Notes

Reading & Accumulation

Beyond technique, I also find methodology in reading. I unpack and digest the books I've read, distilling them into things that can guide the next decision — not just another row on a bookshelf. These notes record iterations of how I think, and they complement the technical notes. → Reading Notes