How fast does a protein fold? Real-time technique captures the moment

Proteins assume complex 3D shapes even faster than does DNA, which is a simpler molecule.

Originally written By Katherine Bourzac and published in Nature on 9 March 2026

It can take less than a microsecond for proteins (artist’s impression) to fold into their 3D shapes. Credit: Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library

Scientists say they have made some of the first direct measurements of how long it takes an individual, ordinary protein to fold. The results were surprising: they found no relationship between a protein’s sequence or size and how long it takes to fold into its 3D shape. And proteins seem to fold more efficiently than do other biomolecules, such as DNA — despite proteins having a more complex set of ingredients. The work was published today in Physical Review Letters1.

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