Institute

The working groups of the IPC investigate the universe of drug-sized molecules as well as the sequence spaces of RNA and proteins, with the aim of developing novel biochemical and chemical therapeutics. Such therapeutics may play a role in a variety of diseases – however, the research conducted by IPC members focuses on specific target protein families rather than on particular disease indications. The areas of expertise and methodological approaches are organized as follows:
(i) Characterization and evaluation of naturally occurring RNA structures, RNA-binding proteins, and RNA-protein complexes as drug targets, along with the application and advancement of RNA technologies (aptamers and mRNA);
(ii) Investigation and modulation of signal transduction pathways through G protein-coupled receptors;
(iii) Medicinal chemistry synthesis of low-molecular-weight compounds against pathogenic bacteria and viruses;
(iv) Cheminformatic methods and machine learning approaches for ligand design and characterization of target proteins;
(v) Physicochemical characterization of macromolecule/ligand interactions and development of biosensor-based methods;
(vi) Synthesis of natural products using green chemistry methods.