Translational Enzymology and Drug Discovery

A deep understanding of enzyme structure–function relationships has historically played a key role in identifying novel drug targets and enabling rational drug design. Today, the rapid advancement of protein structure prediction and determination methods, coupled with the exponential growth of genomic data, offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore complex enzymatic reactions and protein dynamics. This progress paves the way for discovering bioactive molecules that modulate cellular function for therapeutic purposes.

Our lab leverages mechanistic metalloenzymology, structural biology, biophysical techniques, and genome mining to investigate how enzymes use metallocofactors and conformational dynamics to perform challenging biochemical transformations. By decoding the molecular "language" of catalysis, we aim to develop new tools and strategies to drive innovative drug discovery, particularly for rare diseases that currently lack effective treatments.