The main research goal of the Steiner group is to understand how proteins work at the molecular and atomic level. The chemistry that governs the mechanisms of proteins’ action can often be understood once functional context and the three-dimensional information is available.

Proteins are the ‘working machines’ of the cell. Acting alone or in complexes they catalyse a truly impressive array of chemical reactions with exquisite specificity. They also perform sophisticated tasks of molecular recognition, assembly, transport and regulation. Proteins control virtually all cellular processes.

Our approach to structural elucidation is that of X-ray crystallography, in combination with methods of protein and nucleic acid chemistry. However, other biophysical methods are also employed when needed for a better and deeper understanding of the system under study. We are also interested in computational methods in biological crystallography and structure analysis.

www.steinerlab.org