Proteins are the microscopic machines that drive nearly every biological process, from how our bodies fight disease to how life itself evolves. Their function is determined by their unique three-dimensional structure, but for decades, determining that structure was a slow, costly, and often impossible task. Five years ago, Google DeepMind introduced AlphaFold, an AI system capable of accurately predicting protein structures from their amino acid sequences. Since its release, AlphaFold has been made freely available to researchers worldwide, and today it is used by over three million scientists — more than a million of them in the Asia-Pacific region. From combating deadly diseases to uncovering new forms of life, researchers across the region are using AlphaFold to make groundbreaking advances in science and medicine. Here are five powerful examples of how AlphaFold is transforming research in the Asia-Pacific: In Malaysia, Dr. Su Datt Lam and his team at the National University of Malaysia are tackling melioidosis, a deadly disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is often contracted through contaminated soil or water. The disease claims nearly 90,000 lives annually and is often underdiagnosed. By using AlphaFold to analyze the bacterium’s proteins, the team is uncovering how it survives in the human body and evades the immune system, accelerating the search for new treatments and potential vaccines. In Singapore, researchers Jackwee Lim and Yinxia Chao from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) used AlphaFold to create the first complete 3D model of a protein associated with Parkinson’s disease. Their discovery revealed that the body’s own immune system can interfere with the protein’s function, providing a new understanding of the disease’s early stages and opening doors to earlier diagnosis and more effective therapies. At the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Professor Ji-Joon Song’s team is exploring how disruptions in DNA organization contribute to cancer and other diseases. Using AlphaFold, they were able to map previously inaccessible regions of a key protein, identifying a hidden interaction site that could be critical in disease development. As Professor Song put it, “AlphaFold is like the internet for structural biology — it’s given us access to a world of data that was once out of reach.” In Taiwan, Dr. Danny Hsu and his team at Academia Sinica used AlphaFold to study a protein with an unknown structure. The AI predicted a complex fold known as a "71-torus knot," a configuration more intricate than any previously observed. The team later confirmed this structure in the lab, marking a major scientific discovery and proving that AlphaFold can help uncover entirely new phenomena in protein folding. In Japan, Dr. Syun-ichi Urayama and his team were studying viruses in the hot springs of the country’s volcanic regions when they discovered unusual genetic material. By applying AlphaFold to predict the structure of the proteins, they confirmed the viruses belonged to a widespread, previously unknown family of life. This finding has expanded our understanding of molecular evolution and revealed a new branch in the tree of life. These stories from Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan are just a few examples of how AlphaFold is reshaping scientific discovery across the Asia-Pacific. From fighting neglected diseases to redefining our understanding of life’s building blocks, the impact of this AI system is profound. As a result of its revolutionary capabilities, AlphaFold was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024, cementing its place as a cornerstone of modern biology. The global scientific community continues to build on this foundation, using AlphaFold to address some of humanity’s most pressing challenges.