Protein engineering: Status report

With this status report, we aim to provide a timely snapshot of the protein engineering field as a broad and rapidly advancing discipline that integrates computational, molecular biology, structure-guided, evolutionary, and synthetic approaches to create new and improved proteins with tailored structures and useful functions. The report is organized into eight thematic areas spanning core methodologies and major application domains, including enzymes, therapeutics, detection, synthetic biology, and materials. Contributions from experts across these areas highlight both the historical foundations and recent advances in their respective fields, with particular emphasis on the growing influence of machine learning and artificial intelligence-based methods. Emerging from this broad overview is a central message: protein engineering appears to be entering a golden age, defined by a rapidly accelerating pace of progress, even as significant challenges in design, screening, and real-world application remain. Looking ahead, the continued integration of computational and experimental strategies is poised to further accelerate the impact of protein engineering across an expanding range of economically and societally important sectors, from therapeutics and molecular imaging to diagnostics, plastic recycling, and industrial chemistry.