Research

The research in our laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular basis of interactions involving biological macromolecules. Molecular recognition is at the heart of essentially all biological processes, and hence much of the drug discovery. All cellular functions depend on protein-small molecule, protein-protein, DNA-small molecule, protein-DNA, or other intermolecular interactions. We want to understand what is the biophysical basis of these interactions. What is the role of affinity and specificity in complex formation? Our interest is concentrated on studying a detailed understanding of the underlying physical processes in these interactions. To do that, we apply both thermodynamic and kinetic analysis along with collaborative structural and biological approaches in order to achieve a combined picture. We believe that such studies have the potential to provide new avenues for drug design.