RESEARCH CENTER
This group is a pioneer in X-ray crystallography in Brazil and has extensive experience in human resources development.
The group hosts a World Reference Center in Medicinal Chemistry for Chagas Disease, endorsed by the World Health Organization.
RESEARCH LINES
This center has expertise in X-ray crystallography, biochemistry, molecular biology, parasitology, various biophysical and spectroscopic techniques such as circular dichroism, fluorescence, electron paramagnetic resonance, microcalorimetry, surface plasmon resonance, thermophoresis, SEC-MALS, robotic in vitro biological assays, in vivo parasitological assays, and extensive experience in medicinal and computational chemistry.
In the near future the group will be equipped with cryoelectron microscopes with the capacity for single particle analysis and the preparation of lamella from Cryo-ET and subtomogram analysis.
The group currently has several lines of research including the study of targets for drug development against tropical diseases, viral structure, selenium metabolism, septins, plastic degrading enzymes, the synthesis of vitamin C, intrinsically unstructured proteins, etc.
INSTRUMENTATION
AVAILABLE INFRAESTRUCTURE FOR PROJECT DEVELOPMENT:
- X-ray diffractometers for proteins
- Crystallization robot
- Biophysical techniques: CD (Circular Dichroism), fluorescence, EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance), Biacore, thermophoresis
- Microcalorimetry (DSC and ITC)
- Mass spectrometry
- Extensive protein chemistry, molecular biology, cell culture, and parasite culture facilities
- SEC-MALS (Size Exclusion Chromatography with Multiple Angle Light Scattering)
- São Carlos Institute of Physics: (1) Biofísics and Structural Biology Group Sérgio Mascarenhas (2) Crystallography group
- +55 16 3373 9846/3373 9846
- jrcmuniz@ifsc.usp.br richard@ifsc.usp.br