Targeting Intrinsically Disordered Proteins and Biomolecular Condensates with Small Molecule Drugs

Paul Robustelli, PhD. is an associate professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College, where his research focuses on the integration of computational and experimental methods to study dynamic and disordered proteins. He earned a B.A. in chemistry from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Cambridge. Before joining the chemistry faculty at Dartmouth, Robustelli worked as an NSF postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University in the laboratory of Arthur Palmer III and as a scientist at D.E. Shaw Research.

The Robustelli laboratory combines computational and biophysical approaches to investigate the molecular recognition mechanisms of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), a class of proteins involved in numerous biological processes and human diseases. By characterizing IDP interactions at atomic resolution, the group aims to uncover how small molecules bind to these challenging targets, develop more effective inhibitors, and understand how small molecules influence the stability of biomolecular condensates.