Marco Fragai

Marco Fragai is an Associate Professor affiliated with the Department of Chemistry and the Magnetic Resonance Center at the University of Florence, Italy. His research focuses on structural biology, NMR spectroscopy, and biomolecular interactions, with applications in vaccine design, drug development, and enzymology. Key areas include glycobiology (e.g., bacterial pathogen recognition), protein-ligand interactions (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 glycan receptors), and the structural characterization of biologics. His work integrates computational methods (e.g., machine learning) and advanced biophysical techniques to study protein dynamics and functional mechanisms.

His research also explores prebiotic chemistry, metallopeptides, and the development of novel therapeutics targeting cancer and infectious diseases. He has contributed to the design of antiviral agents, cancer immunotherapies, and biomaterials such as hyaluronic acid-based systems for ocular diseases. Notably, his group employs paramagnetic NMR to study enzyme catalysis and paramagnetic tagging of proteins for structural analysis.

Publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches, including collaborations on vaccine candidates, enzyme inhibitors, and the structural biology of RNA-binding proteins. His work bridges fundamental research and translational applications, emphasizing the Quality by Design paradigm for biopharmaceutical development.