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The activity of the Sector aims at studying biological systems and processes with tools and concepts typical of statistical physics and theoretical chemistry. The mainstream activity is the characterization of the physical-chemical properties of bio-polymers such as proteins and enzymes. To achieve these goals, a variety of approaches are used ranging from the use of simplified models, apt for capturing the general and typical behavior of biomolecules, to numerical simulations based on all-atom potentials to follow the functional dynamics of specific enzymes. Both types of strategies are being applied on several target systems including pharmacologically important substances which target the Alzheimer's disease and the AIDS virus.

The Sector of Statistical and Biological Physics was recently created in SISSA to promote research activities at the frontier of biology, physics and chemistry. The activities pursued in the two main branches of the Sector are outlined below.

Statistical Mechanics

The research activity in the group of Statistical Mechanics is focused on the development and application of concepts typical of statistical physics to various biologically-motivated problems. Our main line of investigation is the characterization, through coarse-grained models, of the kinetics, thermodynamics and mechanical response of biopolymers. Other areas of research include the modelling of biodiversity in ecological systems, graph-theoretical approaches to protein interaction networks and the statistical mechanics of complex systems.

Theoretical biophysics and structural biology

The group uses molecular simulation techniques to provide insights on molecular mechanisms involving proteins and nucleic acids. Based on the ever-growing information on the structure of biomolecules, the group uses a variety of computational techniques, from ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) to classical MD to investigate the intricate relationship between structure and function. Besides the computational physics approach, the group is increasingly using also structural bioinformatics techniques.

The group's major effort is in the investigation of systems of pharmaceutical relevance, such as targets for anti-Alzheimer and for anti-AIDS. These investigations from one side allow to obtain insights in the molecular mechanisms of protein and protein aggregates, from the other may help develop new therapeutic agents. We are also interested in understanding structure, energetics and dynamics of ion channels. Very recently, the group has also started to investigate nucleic acids.

Much of our research activity is linked to experimental labs in the Trieste Area (SISSA and ICGEB), as well as labs in Europe and in the United States.

A collaboration has also started with Glaxo-Wellcome Ion channel Modeling group in UK. Our group also benefits from the interactions with computational groups in Europe and the United States.

  Main research lines:

• Statistical Physics
• Biomolecular Simulations
• Structural Bioinformatics
• Experimental Molecular Biophysics