AlphaFold 3 is shaking up drug design and vaccine work by predicting 3‑D shapes and interactions of proteins, nucleic acids, small molecules and even ions with stunning accuracy. Its diffusion‑based architecture goes beyond single‑protein models, nailing binding sites, interaction energies and multi‑component complexes far better than old‑school docking tools .¹
In practice that means researchers can spot target sites faster, tweak drug candidates with confidence, and map antigen‑antibody contacts for more potent vaccines. The same power is being used to probe disease‑linked shape changes—think Alzheimer’s or cancer—and to engineer novel enzymes with custom functions .²
The breakthrough isn’t flawless; it still struggles with dynamic shape shifts and can “hallucinate” in disordered regions. Even so, the open‑source release and ongoing tweaks are already expanding its reach .
