INSTITUTE FOR PROTEIN DESIGN

The mission of the University of Washington Institute for Protein Design is to design a new world of proteins to address 21st century challenges in medicine, energy and technology. The Institute for Protein Design was established in 2012, and is building on strengths within the University of Washington and Seattle more generally. Protein design requires high-level expertise and talent in computing and software, biochemistry, genome sciences, biological structure, pharmacology, immunology and ot... her basic science disciplines, as well as clinical medicine. They are marshaling deep institutional strengths in our faculty, scientific staff, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, their partners from collaborating institutions, innovator networks, and from the computer and biotechnology industries — bringing extraordinary expertise to bear on a singular focus to advance the potential of protein design. Over the past 16 years, UW researchers have made significant progress in protein design and protein structure prediction, developing the world leading Rosetta software. During this period, UW scientists have developed methods for designing proteins with a wide range of new functions, including catalysts for chemical reactions, HIV and RSV vaccine candidates, and flu virus inhibitors. The IPD integrates these strengths in protein design with Seattle-area expertise in biochemistry, engineering, computer science and medicine, and leverages the exceptional Seattle strength in the software industry.