Protenix-Mini: Efficient Structure Predictor via Compact Architecture, Few-Step Diffusion and Switchable pLM

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Gong, Chengyue, Chen, Xinshi, Zhang, Yuxuan, Song, Yuxuan, Zhou, Hao, Xiao, Wenzhi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Gong, Chengyue
Chen, Xinshi
Zhang, Yuxuan
Song, Yuxuan
Zhou, Hao
Xiao, Wenzhi
author_facet Gong, Chengyue
Chen, Xinshi
Zhang, Yuxuan
Song, Yuxuan
Zhou, Hao
Xiao, Wenzhi
contents Lightweight inference is critical for biomolecular structure prediction and other downstream tasks, enabling efficient real-world deployment and inference-time scaling for large-scale applications. In this work, we address the challenge of balancing model efficiency and prediction accuracy by making several key modifications, 1) Multi-step AF3 sampler is replaced by a few-step ODE sampler, significantly reducing computational overhead for the diffusion module part during inference; 2) In the open-source Protenix framework, a subset of pairformer or diffusion transformer blocks doesn't make contributions to the final structure prediction, presenting opportunities for architectural pruning and lightweight redesign; 3) A model incorporating an ESM module is trained to substitute the conventional MSA module, reducing MSA preprocessing time. Building on these key insights, we present Protenix-Mini, a compact and optimized model designed for efficient protein structure prediction. This streamlined version incorporates a more efficient architectural design with a two-step Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) sampling strategy. By eliminating redundant Transformer components and refining the sampling process, Protenix-Mini significantly reduces model complexity with slight accuracy drop. Evaluations on benchmark datasets demonstrate that it achieves high-fidelity predictions, with only a negligible 1 to 5 percent decrease in performance on benchmark datasets compared to its full-scale counterpart. This makes Protenix-Mini an ideal choice for applications where computational resources are limited but accurate structure prediction remains crucial.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_11839
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Protenix-Mini: Efficient Structure Predictor via Compact Architecture, Few-Step Diffusion and Switchable pLM
Gong, Chengyue
Chen, Xinshi
Zhang, Yuxuan
Song, Yuxuan
Zhou, Hao
Xiao, Wenzhi
Machine Learning
Quantitative Methods
Lightweight inference is critical for biomolecular structure prediction and other downstream tasks, enabling efficient real-world deployment and inference-time scaling for large-scale applications. In this work, we address the challenge of balancing model efficiency and prediction accuracy by making several key modifications, 1) Multi-step AF3 sampler is replaced by a few-step ODE sampler, significantly reducing computational overhead for the diffusion module part during inference; 2) In the open-source Protenix framework, a subset of pairformer or diffusion transformer blocks doesn't make contributions to the final structure prediction, presenting opportunities for architectural pruning and lightweight redesign; 3) A model incorporating an ESM module is trained to substitute the conventional MSA module, reducing MSA preprocessing time. Building on these key insights, we present Protenix-Mini, a compact and optimized model designed for efficient protein structure prediction. This streamlined version incorporates a more efficient architectural design with a two-step Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) sampling strategy. By eliminating redundant Transformer components and refining the sampling process, Protenix-Mini significantly reduces model complexity with slight accuracy drop. Evaluations on benchmark datasets demonstrate that it achieves high-fidelity predictions, with only a negligible 1 to 5 percent decrease in performance on benchmark datasets compared to its full-scale counterpart. This makes Protenix-Mini an ideal choice for applications where computational resources are limited but accurate structure prediction remains crucial.
title Protenix-Mini: Efficient Structure Predictor via Compact Architecture, Few-Step Diffusion and Switchable pLM
topic Machine Learning
Quantitative Methods
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.11839