From AI Design to Affinity Representation: GentleGen Supports "The Changjiang Cup 2026 Global AI Protein Design Challenge"

Release time:2026-09-29

Recently, The Changjiang Cup 2026 Global AI Protein Design Challenge officially launches. Guided by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the competition is jointly initiated and hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai AI Laboratory, Lingang Laboratory, Changping Laboratory, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Academy of AI for Science, and Engine Community. It is organized by the Institute of Natural Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and co-organized by the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University; the Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University; the Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China; the Research Institute of Intelligent Complex Systems, Fudan University; School of Engineering, Westlake University; the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou; INESA (Group) Co., Ltd.; and the Alliance of Strategic Scientific and Technological Forces for AI for Science.

The Changjiang Cup 2026: Challenges in antibody design and intelligent R&D for the future

AI is moving fast in protein design. Protein structure prediction models are developing fast, and generative models can now design protein sequences that never existed in nature. AI-designed antibodies and binders are steadily making their way from research papers into pipelines. It’s an exciting moment that computational science is, for the first time, truly taking part in creating the molecules of life.

This challenge focuses on de novo protein design and real wet-lab validation. Participants will design nanobodies or minibinders against different targets. The total prize pool is CNY 1,000,000, and at least 5,000 designed sequences are expected to undergo free wet-lab testing, including expression, purification, and binding assay. The challenge is open worldwide to universities, research institutes, corporate R&D teams, interdisciplinary innovation teams, independent researchers, and individuals. Registration opens today (September 24) and closes on October 31.

We warmly invite researchers across AI and life sciences to join us with their models and designs. Together, let's bring AI-designed proteins into reality!

Contact Email: zbztzhz@sjtu.edu.cn

GentleGen: Empowering participating teams with AI + automation

As the sponsor and support unit of this competition, GentleGen will assist participants in wet experiment phase validation.

Relying on its independently developed GentSyn-Exp3.0G-Lab fully automated production line, GentleGen has built a one-stop, high-throughput technology platform covering gene design, synthesis, validation, protein expression, and antibody affinity characterization. Traditional R&D models rely heavily on manual validation, but GentleGen has redefined the efficiency and cost of wet experiments through automation.

High-throughput screening: High-throughput expression screening greatly reduces the detection cost of individual samples—IgG monoclonal antibody at 48.9 USD/clones, VHH nanobody at 28.9 USD/clones. Each antibody comes with an 800 μl of antibody supernatant that can be directly used for functional validation—eliminating purification steps and skipping intermediate steps, providing one-stop downstream testing from genes to antibodies.

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Affinity testing: GentleGen offers three major platforms: ELISA, BLE, and SPR, covering the entire process from early high-throughput initial screening to precise KD characterization of candidate molecules. No matter what stage of antibody discovery you are in, GentleGen can match the most suitable affinity testing protocol.

Relying on a fully automated production line, GentleGen achieves a 99% success rate for its first synthesis and 99.9% sequence accuracy, ensuring that AI design sequences can quickly obtain real and reliable wet experiment data, helping teams efficiently validate their designs during the competition and driving AI antibody design from computational to experimental.

For detailed information about related services, please send an email to marketing@gentlegen.com.

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