Benchmark Almanac

DNA sequence design for transcription factor binding

GPT-5.5 Pro 16.5% leads since April 2026
Only in system cards

Models design DNA sequences that bind 11 Nucleobench transcription factors, scored by BPNet oracles against the Ledidi baseline. Scored as pass@1.

OpenAI Preparedness evaluation. The concern threshold is an 80 percent win rate over Ledidi.

Made by
OpenAI
Released
April 2026
Kind
Genomics and life sciences
Level
Research frontier
Scored
Checked automatically
Answers
Prediction
Tasks
Kept private
Strongest model tested
GPT-6 Astra #3 on the capability index
Last in a system card
September 2026
Last model added
September 2026
4
Models scored in lab cards
6
System cards report it, from 1 lab

GPT-5.5 Pro leads with 16.5% among models released by September 2026

Best score per model as labs report them in their own cards. Labs pick their own settings, so these compare less cleanly than independent runs.

The newest model with a score here came out in September 2026, and nobody has reported a newer one. Among the 20 highest-ranked models on the capability index, these have no score yet:

  1. 16.5 GPT-5.5 Pro
  2. 13.8 GPT-5.5
  3. 13.7 GPT-5.6 Sol
  4. 11.3 GPT-6 Astra
  1. 1 GPT-5.5 Pro 16.5%
  2. 2 GPT-5.5 13.8%
  3. 3 GPT-5.6 Sol 13.7%
  4. 4 GPT-6 Astra 11.3%

Source: Labs’ model cards

#ModelScoreSettingDateSource
1 GPT-5.5 Pro 16.5% Apr 2026 Lab model card
2 GPT-5.5 13.8% Apr 2026 Lab model card
3 GPT-5.6 Sol 13.7% Jun 2026 Lab model card
4 GPT-6 Astra 11.3% Sep 2026 Lab model card

Number one over time

Lab claims count from the day the card came out, independent runs from the model’s release.

OpenAI
Lab claims Not tested since Sep 2026
GPT-5.5 Pro 16.5%

Source: Labs’ model cards

Scores over time

All the scores we have, one dot each, so a model tested at several settings appears more than once.

Reported by the lab in its model card
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2026 Near the ceiling (85%) GPT-5.5 Pro 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2026 Near the ceiling (85%) GPT-5.5 Pro

Source: Labs’ model cards

Labs report it only in system cards

We read the headline results of 522 launch posts from 52 labs, and none of them list this benchmark. Some system cards do, below.

6 system cards report it, from 1 lab

Besides launch posts, we read the system cards, model cards and technical reports labs publish with a release. They report far more, including safety and frontier-risk tests.

DateDocumentScoreAs the document writes itSection
Sep 3, 2026 GPT-6 Astra system card 11.3 DNA sequence design for Transcription Factor binding, pass@1 win rate over Ledidi, retiring evaluation (Table 17) Bio and chem risk
Aug 6, 2026 GPT-5.6 Sol system card addendum 12.6 DNA sequence design for Transcription Factor binding, pass@1, GPT-5.6 Sol (August) (7.1.1.6) Bio and chem risk
Jul 9, 2026 GPT-5.6 Sol system card 13.7 DNA sequence design for transcription factor binding, pass@1 (Table 3, 9.1.1.7) Bio and chem risk
Jun 25, 2026 GPT-5.6 Sol system card 13.7 DNA sequence design for transcription factor binding, pass@1 (Table 3, 9.1.1.7) Bio and chem risk
Apr 23, 2026 GPT-5.5 system card 13.8 DNA sequence design for Transcription Factor binding, pass@1 (Table 13) Bio and chem risk
Apr 23, 2026 GPT-5.5 Pro system card 16.5 DNA sequence design for Transcription Factor binding, pass@1, GPT-5.5 Pro (Table 13) Bio and chem risk

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