Cloning and genetic manipulation. Production of proteins using recombinant DNA techniques and their purification by chromatographic techniques. Characterization of proteins using spectroscopic techniques (circular dichroism, UV-visible absorption) and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Kinetic characterization of the catalytic activity of enzymes. Crystallization of biological macromolecules and determination of the crystallographic structure of proteins and their complexes with small molecules and substrates by synchrotron source X-ray diffraction.
Structural study of target proteins involved in various human diseases and their modulation through the development of inhibitors and regulators. The main biological targets are metallo-enzymes involved in neurodegenerative diseases, regulatory proteins, and enzymes involved in cancer, enzymes and metallo-enzymes responsible for drug resistance to antibiotics and rhodopsin-mimetic photoactive systems.