Motivation
The Structural Bioengineering Laboratory Jerson Silva is linked to the Protein Thermodynamics and Viral Structures Laboratory Gregorio Weber at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). We are motivated to apply basic research principles in structural, molecular, and cellular biology. The laboratory aims to create an interdisciplinary atmosphere in which researchers provide solutions for biomedical problems involving functional and pathological mechanisms of protein systems.
The laboratory honors the full Professor Jerson Silva. Professor Silva founded the Laboratory of Protein Thermodynamics and Viral Structures Gregorio Weber. He is the director of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Jiri Jonas National Center and the Structural Biology and Bioimaging National Institute for Science and Technology coordinator. He has made significant contributions to the structural biology field, protein folding, viral assemblies, and understanding the mechanisms triggering protein misfolding, an essential aspect of several human diseases, including cancer, prion, and Parkinson’s disease.
Besides structural biology approaches such as nuclear magnetic resonance and cryo-electron microscopy, we make use of an interdisciplinary portfolio of techniques, including fluorescence spectroscopy, spectropolarimetry, image correlation spectroscopy, biophysical methods coupled with high pressure, small angle X-ray scattering, recombinant protein preparation, liquid chromatography, genetically modified organisms, and eukaryote cell culture and storage.