Boltz Structure Prediction
Prerequisites
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Python | 3.10+ | 3.11 |
| CUDA | 12.0+ | 12.1+ |
| GPU VRAM | 24GB | 48GB (L40S) |
| RAM | 32GB | 64GB |
How to run
First time? See Installation Guide to set up Modal and biomodals.
Option 1: Modal
bashcd biomodals modal run modal_boltz.py \ --input-faa complex.fasta \ --out-dir predictions/
GPU: L40S (48GB) | Timeout: 1800s default
Option 2: Local installation
bashpip install boltz boltz predict \ --fasta complex.fasta \ --output predictions/
Key parameters
| Parameter | Default | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--recycling_steps | 3 | 1-10 | Recycling iterations |
--sampling_steps | 200 | 50-500 | Diffusion steps |
--use_msa_server | true | bool | Use MSA server |
FASTA Format
>protein_A MKTAYIAKQRQISFVK... >protein_B MVLSPADKTNVKAAWG...
Output format
predictions/ ├── model_0.cif # Best model (CIF format) ├── confidence.json # pLDDT, pTM, ipTM └── pae.npy # PAE matrix
Note: Boltz outputs CIF format. Convert to PDB if needed:
pythonfrom Bio.PDB import MMCIFParser, PDBIO parser = MMCIFParser() structure = parser.get_structure("model", "model_0.cif") io = PDBIO() io.set_structure(structure) io.save("model_0.pdb")
Comparison
| Feature | Boltz-1 | Boltz-2 | AF2-Multimer |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSA-free mode | Yes | Yes | No |
| Diffusion | Yes | Yes | No |
| Speed | Fast | Faster | Slower |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Sample output
Successful run
$ boltz predict --fasta complex.fasta --output predictions/ [INFO] Loading Boltz-1 weights... [INFO] Predicting structure... [INFO] Saved model to predictions/model_0.cif predictions/confidence.json: { "ptm": 0.78, "iptm": 0.65, "plddt": 0.81 }
What good output looks like:
- pTM: > 0.7 (confident global structure)
- ipTM: > 0.5 (confident interface)
- pLDDT: > 0.7 (confident per-residue)
- CIF file: ~100-500 KB for typical complex
Decision tree
Should I use Boltz? │ ├─ What are you predicting? │ ├─ Protein-protein complex → Boltz ✓ or Chai or ColabFold │ ├─ Protein + ligand → Boltz ✓ or Chai │ └─ Single protein → Use ESMFold (faster) │ ├─ Need MSA? │ ├─ No / want speed → Boltz ✓ │ └─ Yes / maximum accuracy → ColabFold │ └─ Why Boltz over Chai? ├─ Open weights preference → Boltz ✓ ├─ Boltz-2 speed → Boltz ✓ └─ DNA/RNA support → Consider Chai
Typical performance
| Campaign Size | Time (L40S) | Cost (Modal) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 complexes | 30-45 min | ~$8 | Standard validation |
| 500 complexes | 2-3h | ~$35 | Large campaign |
| 1000 complexes | 4-6h | ~$70 | Comprehensive |
Per-complex: ~15-30s for typical binder-target complex.
Verify
bashfind predictions -name "*.cif" | wc -l # Should match input count
Troubleshooting
Low confidence: Increase recycling_steps OOM errors: Use MSA-free mode or A100-80GB Slow prediction: Reduce sampling_steps
Error interpretation
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
RuntimeError: CUDA out of memory | Complex too large | Use --use_msa_server false or larger GPU |
KeyError: 'iptm' | Single chain only | Ensure FASTA has 2+ chains |
FileNotFoundError: weights | Missing model | Run boltz download first |
ValueError: invalid residue | Non-standard AA | Check for modified residues in sequence |
Boltz-1 vs Boltz-2
| Aspect | Boltz-1 | Boltz-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fast | ~2x faster |
| Accuracy | Good | Improved |
| Ligands | Basic | Better support |
| Release | 2024 | Late 2024 |
Next: protein-qc for filtering and ranking.
