LocoGen (NeurIPS): designing regulatory DNA that is active, novel and biologically plausible
mo_lotfollahi · x · 2026-11-14
LocoGen, accepted at NeurIPS 2026, tackles a key question in generative DNA design: when you steer a generative model toward higher predicted activity, is it discovering useful regulatory sequences or just exploiting the predictor?
The authors observed that some methods pack sequences with repeated motifs or drift toward GC-rich compositions with a narrower motif repertoire — high predicted activity, but compositions diverging from natural enhancers.
LocoGen therefore evaluates three things together: predicted activity, novelty, and compositional plausibility, and controls where exploration happens — since regulatory DNA is not equally constrained at every position.
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