TED Fellow Christopher Bahl uses computational protein design — building never-before-seen-in-nature proteins with the aid of computers — to develop new medicines for use in combating infectious diseases.

Why you should listen

Christopher Bahl's genetically encodable protein medicines are inspired by molecules naturally found in snake and insect venom. Bahl believes that computational protein design has the potential to make drug development faster and cheaper, which may lead to breakthroughs in medicine and help scientists better understand the molecular mechanics of life.

Christopher Bahl’s TED talk