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Smallest Bio-molecules:
Willy Wriggers, Ph.D., assistant professor, SHIS and GSBS, and adjunct faculty member, IMM
Willy Wriggers, Ph.D.
An answer to human diseases may lie in the smallest known realms of life. That’s the promise of nanomedicine, an exciting new field that scientists are pioneering right now at the UT Health Science Center. Nanomedicine is medical diagnosis, monitoring and treatment at the level of single molecules or molecular assemblies that provide structure, control, signaling and motility in cells.
“By studying the actions and interactions within life's subcellular machinery, we’re finding better drug and treatment options,” said Wriggers, who is director of the SHIS Laboratories of Biocomputing and Imaging. “We're also learning how to diagnose diseases earlier. Thereby, our research builds bridges between the smallest size bio-molecules and Texas-size clinical practice.
“Our team is leading the development of technology that brings the prediction of function from the structure of complex molecules within reach of biomedical researchers,” he said. “This will lead to a precise understanding of mutations and other biological variations, and the ability to design molecules for medical nanotechnology.”
Wriggers holds a Sloan Fellowship and joined the UT Health Science Center after postdoctoral and faculty work in San Diego.
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