Biomni
Overview
Biomni is an open-source biomedical AI agent framework from Stanford's SNAP lab that autonomously executes complex research tasks across biomedical domains. Use this skill when working on multi-step biological reasoning tasks, analyzing biomedical data, or conducting research spanning genomics, drug discovery, molecular biology, and clinical analysis.
Core Capabilities
Biomni excels at:
- Multi-step biological reasoning - Autonomous task decomposition and planning for complex biomedical queries
- Code generation and execution - Dynamic analysis pipeline creation for data processing
- Knowledge retrieval - Access to ~11GB of integrated biomedical databases and literature
- Cross-domain problem solving - Unified interface for genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, and clinical tasks
When to Use This Skill
Use biomni for:
- CRISPR screening - Design screens, prioritize genes, analyze knockout effects
- Single-cell RNA-seq - Cell type annotation, differential expression, trajectory analysis
- Drug discovery - ADMET prediction, target identification, compound optimization
- GWAS analysis - Variant interpretation, causal gene identification, pathway enrichment
- Clinical genomics - Rare disease diagnosis, variant pathogenicity, phenotype-genotype mapping
- Lab protocols - Protocol optimization, literature synthesis, experimental design
Quick Start
Installation and Setup
Install Biomni and configure API keys for LLM providers:
uv pip install biomni --upgrade
Configure API keys (store in .env file or environment variables):
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key-here" # Optional: OpenAI, Azure, Google, Groq, AWS Bedrock keys
Use scripts/setup_environment.py for interactive setup assistance.
Basic Usage Pattern
from biomni.agent import A1 # Initialize agent with data path and LLM choice agent = A1(path='./data', llm='claude-sonnet-4-20250514') # Execute biomedical task autonomously agent.go("Your biomedical research question or task") # Save conversation history and results agent.save_conversation_history("report.pdf")
Working with Biomni
1. Agent Initialization
The A1 class is the primary interface for biomni:
from biomni.agent import A1 from biomni.config import default_config # Basic initialization agent = A1( path='./data', # Path to data lake (~11GB downloaded on first use) llm='claude-sonnet-4-20250514' # LLM model selection ) # Advanced configuration default_config.llm = "gpt-4" default_config.timeout_seconds = 1200 default_config.max_iterations = 50
Supported LLM Providers:
- Anthropic Claude (recommended):
claude-sonnet-4-20250514,claude-opus-4-20250514 - OpenAI:
gpt-4,gpt-4-turbo - Azure OpenAI: via Azure configuration
- Google Gemini:
gemini-2.0-flash-exp - Groq:
llama-3.3-70b-versatile - AWS Bedrock: Various models via Bedrock API
See references/llm_providers.md for detailed LLM configuration instructions.
2. Task Execution Workflow
Biomni follows an autonomous agent workflow:
# Step 1: Initialize agent agent = A1(path='./data', llm='claude-sonnet-4-20250514') # Step 2: Execute task with natural language query result = agent.go(""" Design a CRISPR screen to identify genes regulating autophagy in HEK293 cells. Prioritize genes based on essentiality and pathway relevance. """) # Step 3: Review generated code and analysis # Agent autonomously: # - Decomposes task into sub-steps # - Retrieves relevant biological knowledge # - Generates and executes analysis code # - Interprets results and provides insights # Step 4: Save results agent.save_conversation_history("autophagy_screen_report.pdf")
3. Common Task Patterns
CRISPR Screening Design
agent.go(""" Design a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen for identifying genes affecting [phenotype] in [cell type]. Include: 1. sgRNA library design 2. Gene prioritization criteria 3. Expected hit genes based on pathway analysis """)
Single-Cell RNA-seq Analysis
agent.go(""" Analyze this single-cell RNA-seq dataset: - Perform quality control and filtering - Identify cell populations via clustering - Annotate cell types using marker genes - Conduct differential expression between conditions File path: [path/to/data.h5ad] """)
Drug ADMET Prediction
agent.go(""" Predict ADMET properties for these drug candidates: [SMILES strings or compound IDs] Focus on: - Absorption (Caco-2 permeability, HIA) - Distribution (plasma protein binding, BBB penetration) - Metabolism (CYP450 interaction) - Excretion (clearance) - Toxicity (hERG liability, hepatotoxicity) """)
GWAS Variant Interpretation
agent.go(""" Interpret GWAS results for [trait/disease]: - Identify genome-wide significant variants - Map variants to causal genes - Perform pathway enrichment analysis - Predict functional consequences Summary statistics file: [path/to/gwas_summary.txt] """)
See references/use_cases.md for comprehensive task examples across all biomedical domains.
4. Data Integration
Biomni integrates ~11GB of biomedical knowledge sources:
- Gene databases - Ensembl, NCBI Gene, UniProt
- Protein structures - PDB, AlphaFold
- Clinical datasets - ClinVar, OMIM, HPO
- Literature indices - PubMed abstracts, biomedical ontologies
- Pathway databases - KEGG, Reactome, GO
Data is automatically downloaded to the specified path on first use.
5. MCP Server Integration
Extend biomni with external tools via Model Context Protocol:
# MCP servers can provide: # - FDA drug databases # - Web search for literature # - Custom biomedical APIs # - Laboratory equipment interfaces # Configure MCP servers in .biomni/mcp_config.json
6. Evaluation Framework
Benchmark agent performance on biomedical tasks:
from biomni.eval import BiomniEval1 evaluator = BiomniEval1() # Evaluate on specific task types score = evaluator.evaluate( task_type='crispr_design', instance_id='test_001', answer=agent_output ) # Access evaluation dataset dataset = evaluator.load_dataset()
Best Practices
Task Formulation
- Be specific - Include biological context, organism, cell type, conditions
- Specify outputs - Clearly state desired analysis outputs and formats
- Provide data paths - Include file paths for datasets to analyze
- Set constraints - Mention time/computational limits if relevant
Security Considerations
β οΈ Important: Biomni executes LLM-generated code with full system privileges. For production use:
- Run in isolated environments (Docker, VMs)
- Avoid exposing sensitive credentials
- Review generated code before execution in sensitive contexts
- Use sandboxed execution environments when possible
Performance Optimization
- Choose appropriate LLMs - Claude Sonnet 4 recommended for balance of speed/quality
- Set reasonable timeouts - Adjust
default_config.timeout_secondsfor complex tasks - Monitor iterations - Track
max_iterationsto prevent runaway loops - Cache data - Reuse downloaded data lake across sessions
Result Documentation
# Always save conversation history for reproducibility agent.save_conversation_history("results/project_name_YYYYMMDD.pdf") # Include in reports: # - Original task description # - Generated analysis code # - Results and interpretations # - Data sources used
Resources
References
Detailed documentation available in the references/ directory:
api_reference.md- Complete API documentation for A1 class, configuration, and evaluationllm_providers.md- LLM provider setup (Anthropic, OpenAI, Azure, Google, Groq, AWS)use_cases.md- Comprehensive task examples for all biomedical domains
Scripts
Helper scripts in the scripts/ directory:
setup_environment.py- Interactive environment and API key configurationgenerate_report.py- Enhanced PDF report generation with custom formatting
External Resources
- GitHub: https://github.com/snap-stanford/biomni
- Web Platform: https://biomni.stanford.edu
- Paper: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.30.656746v1
- Model: https://huggingface.co/biomni/Biomni-R0-32B-Preview
- Evaluation Dataset: https://huggingface.co/datasets/biomni/Eval1
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Data download fails
# Manually trigger data lake download agent = A1(path='./data', llm='your-llm') # First .go() call will download data
API key errors
# Verify environment variables echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY # Or check .env file in working directory
Timeout on complex tasks
from biomni.config import default_config default_config.timeout_seconds = 3600 # 1 hour
Memory issues with large datasets
- Use streaming for large files
- Process data in chunks
- Increase system memory allocation
Getting Help
For issues or questions:
- GitHub Issues: https://github.com/snap-stanford/biomni/issues
- Documentation: Check
references/files for detailed guidance - Community: Stanford SNAP lab and biomni contributors