September 30, 2026 Science Introducing Synth ID Bio Proof of concept for watermarking AI-generated proteins while preserving biological function. Today, we’re introducing Synth ID Bio to bring watermarking technology to synthetic biology. Synth ID Bio embeds an imperceptible signature directly into the biological code, ensuring the watermark is verifiable not just on a digital model but on the synthesized, physical protein itself – all while preserving its biological function in laboratory testing.

Generative AI is helping scientists address critical biological challenges, from predicting the structure of proteins (Alpha Fold) to designing entirely new proteins (Alpha Proteo, and Protein MPNN), and more recently, developing new bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria. Yet these tools also present new challenges: novel AI designs can bypass traditional DNA synthesis screening, while mislabeled synthetic 3D structures risk polluting public databases and misleading downstream research.

In wet-lab testing across three target proteins (VEGF-A, the SARS-Co V-2 spike protein RBD, and PD-L1), our watermarked designs matched the hit rate, binding affinity, and natural sequence diversity of unwatermarked versions, successfully creating the first-ever watermarked and biologically functional protein binders. For protein folding, Synth ID Bio fine-tunes a small part of Alpha Fold 3’s diffusion network, building the ability to watermark directly into the model’s weights.

“Synth ID Bio is an important piece of the puzzle for tracking the provenance of biological designs,” said Sarah Carter, a biosecurity policy expert and Principal at Science Policy Consulting who reviewed the work. “By linking designs to the model developer, these watermarks empower developers to lead on safety and allow synthesis providers to streamline screening for customers who have used t...