RFdiffusion
Diffusion model that generates protein backbones, including binders to a target.
Developer: Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington (RosettaCommons)
Overview
- Developer
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington (RosettaCommons)
- Commercial rights
- Commercial OK
- Commercial cost
- Free commercially
- Compute
- Single GPU
- Open weights
- Yes
- Last verified
Capabilities
Generates protein backbones. Input: a target structure (PDB) with hotspot residues, or just a length/symmetry spec; output: backbone-only PDBs (no sequence) for de novo binders, scaffolds or motif grafts. You then run inverse folding (ProteinMPNN) and a structure predictor to filter.
When to use it
Default starting point for de novo backbone generation and target-conditioned binder scaffolds. Output needs sequence design (ProteinMPNN) and in-silico filtering; raw success rates per design are low, so expect to order many variants.
Input / Output
- Input
- a target structure (PDB) with hotspot residues, or just a length/symmetry spec
- Output
- backbone-only PDBs (no sequence) for de novo binders, scaffolds or motif grafts
Compute
Single GPU. Other tools with this compute profile →
Commercial Licensing
Commercial rights — may a company use it?
Commercial use OKLicence as writtenBSD License (as titled in the repo LICENSE file)
The LICENSE text states it covers both source code and the model weights referenced in the README; it is a permissive BSD-style license with no field-of-use restriction.
The licence read at the source allows use by a company. Attribution or copyleft conditions may still apply — read the note.
Commercial cost — is commercial use free of charge?
Free for commercial useNothing to pay: the licence read at the source grants commercial use with no fee, and the code and weights are public downloads. You still pay for your own compute.
Price and rights are separate: this panel is about money, the panel above is about permission.
- Commercial OK ≠ Free of charge. A tool can be licensed for company use and still need a paid licence for a dependency (BindCraft → PyRosetta).
- Free download ≠ Commercially licensed. Weights you can download at no cost may still forbid commercial use (AlphaFold 3).
- Unverified ≠ Commercially permitted. If no published statement settles it, treat it as unknown — not as a yes.
- Every component counts. Each status considers the code licence, the model-weights terms, required dependencies and any terms of use.
Model Weights
Open weights. A separate weights licence is Not documented as its own field; where weights carry different terms from the code, that is stated in the licence explanation above.
Dependencies
Not documented as a separate field. Any dependency that affects commercial use (for example a paid PyRosetta licence) is named in the licence and cost explanations above.
Official References
- Official site / repo
- github.com/RosettaCommons/RFdiffusion
From the makers of FoldScout
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