Faculty Seminar Matteo Dal Peraro: Leveraging Structural Biology for Molecular Engineering
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the structural determination of the molecules of life, integrated with physics-based modeling and simulation, has transformed our understanding of fundamental biological mechanisms. The vast amount of structural data accumulated has, in turn, fueled the development of powerful deep learning models that extend the capabilities of structure determination and now open new avenues for engineering biomolecules novel to nature.
My lab operates at this interface, where biological mechanistic insights are leveraged to engineer new functions. We reprogram pore-forming toxins, for example, into highly sensitive nanopore sensors for applications ranging from molecular data storage to diagnostics. More broadly, we use structural data to train geometric deep learning models that characterize molecular binding interfaces at the proteome-scale and efficiently explore chemical space to design biomolecules with desired activities. Together, these structure-based approaches are driving a shift from observing biomolecular systems to programming them for medical and biotechnological applications.
Bio
Matteo Dal Peraro is a computational biophysicist, he leads the Laboratory for Biomolecular Modeling within the Institute of Bioengineering (IBI). His lab integrates structural biology, physics-based simulations, and deep learning to understand and engineer biological function. He graduated in Physics (University of Padua, 2000), earned a Ph.D. in Biophysics (SISSA, 2004), and completed postdoctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined EPFL in 2007, directed the EDBB and EDCB doctoral programs, and has served as director and co-director of IBI since 2021.
This seminar is part of the evaluation of Prof. Dal Peraro for the promotion to Full Professor.
Over the past two decades, the structural determination of the molecules of life, integrated with physics-based modeling and simulation, has transformed our understanding of fundamental biological mechanisms. The vast amount of structural data accumulated has, in turn, fueled the development of powerful deep learning models that extend the capabilities of structure determination and now open new avenues for engineering biomolecules novel to nature.
My lab operates at this interface, where biological mechanistic insights are leveraged to engineer new functions. We reprogram pore-forming toxins, for example, into highly sensitive nanopore sensors for applications ranging from molecular data storage to diagnostics. More broadly, we use structural data to train geometric deep learning models that characterize molecular binding interfaces at the proteome-scale and efficiently explore chemical space to design biomolecules with desired activities. Together, these structure-based approaches are driving a shift from observing biomolecular systems to programming them for medical and biotechnological applications.
Bio
Matteo Dal Peraro is a computational biophysicist, he leads the Laboratory for Biomolecular Modeling within the Institute of Bioengineering (IBI). His lab integrates structural biology, physics-based simulations, and deep learning to understand and engineer biological function. He graduated in Physics (University of Padua, 2000), earned a Ph.D. in Biophysics (SISSA, 2004), and completed postdoctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined EPFL in 2007, directed the EDBB and EDCB doctoral programs, and has served as director and co-director of IBI since 2021.
This seminar is part of the evaluation of Prof. Dal Peraro for the promotion to Full Professor.
Practical information
- Expert
- Free
Organizer
- Deanship SV
Contact
- Manuelle Mary