Structural Genomics Unit

We are interested in the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell fate. To study such mechanisms, we employ the laws of physics and the rules of evolution to develop and apply computational methods for predicting the 3D structures of macromolecules and their complexes. Our current lines of research are:

Protein-Ligand interactions. We develop methods for comparative docking of small chemical compounds and their target proteins. Such methods have already been applied to identify drug targets in ten genomes that cause tropical diseases. This work is part of the Tropical Disease Initiative and is funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.
Comparative RNA structure prediction. The recent interest in RNA, specially non-coding RNA molecules, has prompted us to develop a series of tools for the alignment of RNA structures and the prediction of their functions. This work has been funded by a Marie Curie action and a Generalitat Valenciana research grant.
Structure determination of genomic domains. More recently, we have engaged collaboration with experimentalists to study the 3D organization of the chromatin. Such work is resulting in the first ever structures of genomic domains in the cell nucleus.

... our research is supported by ...