Lydia Tabernero

Lydia Tabernero is a Professor of Structural Biology & Drug Discovery at the University of Manchester, affiliated with the Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics. Her research focuses on structural and chemical biology of protein phosphatases and signaling proteins, with a particular emphasis on drug discovery targeting cancer and infectious diseases. She leads projects investigating molecular mechanisms of disease, including tuberculosis and fungal infections, using X-ray crystallography, biochemical methods, and computational tools.

Her research interests include:

• Reversible phosphorylation in signaling pathways
• Structure-based drug design for protein phosphatases
• In vitro screening and computational methods for inhibitor discovery
• Collaborative preclinical trials across Europe and the US

Recent articles highlight work on Mycobacterium tuberculosis inhibitors, fungal pathogen metabolism, and drug discovery tools like VSpipe-GUI. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and well-being. She has supervised 9 students and collaborated on projects such as the High-resolution cyclic ion mobility HDX mass spectrometry initiative.

Notable contributions include advancing non-antibiotic tuberculosis treatments and identifying novel drug targets in pathogens. Her lab is part of the Lydia Becker Institute and Christabel Pankhurst Institute, fostering interdisciplinary research in drug development and structural biology.