Tech Snapshot SignalGen

Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation

Technology Snapshot
Technology Licensing Opportunity

SignalGen
A platform that predicts the right signal
peptide for a specific protein
Value Proposition
Many medicines, vaccines, and biotechnology
products rely on proteins reaching the right
cellular compartment or secretion outside a
cell. Whether a protein gets there in enough
quantities depends on its signal peptide or
leader sequence.
Scientists can identify many existing signal
peptides, but predicting which one will work
best for a specific protein remains difficult.
SignalGen uses generative AI to predict the
signal peptide most likely to guide a protein
to the right location. To make that prediction,
it considers the protein, where it needs to go,
and the organism it comes from. This gives
researchers a new way to improve protein
expression for medicines, vaccines, and
biotechnology products.

Technology Readiness Level 3
IP Information
S-195368; U.S. Patent pending

Adobe Stock image for illustration purposes only

beginning of a protein that acts like a built-in address label, helping direct the protein to the location where it is needed.
Predicting the right signal peptide for a specific
protein remains challenging. Existing software can
identify known signal peptides or determine whether
a protein already contains one, but it cannot predict
which signal peptide is best suited to produce the
desired protein expression and cellular location.
Researchers provide the protein they want to study,
where they want it to go to a specific compartment
in a cell, and the organism. SignalGen predicts the
signal peptide best suited for those conditions, giving researchers a stronger starting point before laboratory testing. SignalGen is even critical for AI designed de novo proteins as it would require a signal peptide.

Advantages

Contact Information

•

[email protected]

•

Overview
Proteins carry out many of the body’s essential
functions, but they can only do their job if they reach the right place inside or outside a cell. Many proteins rely on signal peptides to get there. Typically, a signal peptide is a short sequence segment at the

•
•
•

Predicts signal peptides for specific proteins
instead of only identifying known ones
Considers the protein, where it needs to go, and
the organism in a single prediction
Works with both human and non-human proteins
Natural-language interface reduces the need for