Fold.it is a a 3D puzzle and simulation video game that allows anyone in the world to contribute directly to scientific and medical research, without needing a background in biochemistry.
The game turns the complex biological problem of protein folding into a competitive, interactive puzzle.
Proteins are the essential tools that keep our cells running. They start as long, linear chains of amino acids that must bend and twist into a very specific 3D shape to function properly.
Players are given an unfolded or messy 3D structure and must use digital tools to twist, pack, and fold it into the most efficient and stable shape possible.
The more compact, error-free, and energetically stable the structure is (for example, avoiding clashing atoms), the higher your score on the global leaderboard.
Scientists regularly upload “weekly puzzles” featuring real-world problems based on diseases currently being researched in labs.
Foldit is one of the greatest global success stories of “citizen science.” Everyday gamers have solved riddles that had left laboratories stumped for decades:
Scientists spent 15 years trying to crack the structure of a key enzyme related to the virus HIV. Foldit players solved it in just three weeks.
Players don’t just fold existing proteins; they have designed completely new chemical compounds and antivirals that were later successfully synthesized in real labs.
During the pandemic, thousands of players competed to model proteins capable of neutralizing the spike protein of the coronavirus.