RESEARCH CENTER

The Laboratory of Structural Studies of Macromolecules (LEEM) and the Laboratory of Protein Crystallography (LCP) are part of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP), belonging to the University of São Paulo (campus Ribeirão Preto).

This faculty was established in 1924 and since then has had the mission of training highly qualified professionals to work in various areas of Pharmaceutical Sciences, with ethical, critical, reflective, and humanistic values. The FCFRP is composed of three departments integrated didactically and scientifically: the Department of Clinical, Toxicological, and Bromatological Analysis, the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Department of Biomolecular Sciences.

With integrated and complementary actions from the three departments, the FCFRP continuously seeks cutting-edge scientific development and the qualification of pharmaceutical professionals, preparing them for scientific advances and needs in the pharmaceutical field and related areas, especially in aspects of great importance to society.

This node has access to an extensive network of multi-user laboratories and facilities, both within the host faculty and in other units on the campus. This infrastructure allows the use of a wide variety of equipment, enhancing and complementing the available techniques for the development of research projects.

RESEARCH LINES

In collaboration with LEEM, LCP, and other groups within the institution, this node possesses extensive experience in various scientific areas. We specialize in electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, biochemistry, microbiology, virology, and molecular biology. Additionally, we employ a variety of biophysical and spectroscopic techniques such as circular dichroism, fluorescence, microcalorimetry, thermophoresis, SEC-MALS, and in vitro biological assays.

Currently, LEEM and LCP are developing various lines of research, combining the use of biophysical, biochemical, and protein structural characterization techniques. Our focus is to study, at the molecular level, the behavior of proteins and their complexes involved in various biological processes, such as the mechanisms of interaction between bacteria, their interactions with the environment, and their natural commensals, bacteriophages. We also investigate proteins that are potential targets for drug design against neglected and rare diseases, among others. In the near future, the node plans to install an electron microscope that will enable the analysis of individual particles, as well as tomogram analysis under cryogenic conditions.

INSTRUMENTATION

NEW WORKSHOP ALERT 👉 Join us to explore X-ray crystallography, AI tools and molecular dynamics for solving 3D structures. Hands-on learning, expert guidance and scholarships!

📅 21–30 April 2025
📍 Montevideo, Uruguay

Apply here: https://bit.ly/4imYnZw

This project has been made possible in part by a grant from the Chang Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, an advised fund of Silicon Valley.