Matteo Ferla

Dr. Matteo Ferla is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford's Department of Biochemistry, affiliated with the Oxford Protein Informatics Group. His research focuses on computational biochemistry, drug design, and molecular thermodynamics, with a growing interest in deep learning applications. He develops tools like Fragmenstein (for fragment-based drug discovery), Michelanglo (protein structure visualization), and Venus (variant functional analysis). His work bridges structural biology, bioinformatics, and experimental validation, contributing to understanding protein-ligand interactions, genetic variants' effects, and drug development.

Key Projects:

• Fragmenstein: A computational tool stitching molecules for drug discovery.
• Michelanglo: Web-based protein structure annotation platform.
• Venus: Analyzes missense variants' functional impacts beyond structural destabilization.

Research Themes:

• Fragment-based drug design.
• Computational methods for protein engineering.
• Genetic and structural basis of rare diseases.

Publications: Over 20 peer-reviewed articles, including high-impact contributions to Science, Genome Medicine, and Brain, focusing on SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors, genetic disorder mechanisms, and structural biology tools.