Protein Modelling Laboratory

Overview

The Protein Modeling Laboratory employs computational biophysical methods to investigate the molecular structure and dynamics of proteins. Its members possess a diverse range of expertise, traversing the spectrum from fundamental research in protein modeling techniques to applications with biotechnological and biomedical implications. Founded in 1999, the laboratory initially centered on redox proteins (e.g., cytochromes, haem-copper oxidases, laccases, and hydrogenases), but has steadily expanded its scope to encompass new research domains, including ABC transporters, viral fusion mechanisms, enzyme engineering, and more. The interaction with experimental laboratories is essential for our current research, which is primarily focused on the design of non-conventional biologicals to combat viral infection and engineering enzymes for the production of high-value compounds.

Group leaders:

Cláudio M. Soares, PI

Diana Lousa, PI

Highlights

First-edition MCBBi student sucessfully defends his Master Thesis

On March 8^th, João Correia, a graduate of the first edition of the Master Programme in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, attained a perfect score of 20 while defending his thesis entitled "Validation and Optimization of a Structure-based Enzyme Engineering Platform". He dedicated his efforts to enhancing scoring methods implemented within the laboratory's enzyme engineering platform. Congratulations, João!

ITQB-NOVA, 08.03.2024

Mariana Valério completes Ph.D. Journey with great success

Exciting News! On December 14^th, Mariana Valério successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis entitled "Unlocking Viral Entry: The Key Role of Fusion Proteins". Her work explored the insights of viral entry mechanisms into host cells. Congratulations, Mariana!