Rafael M. Couñago

Rafael M. Couñago, PhD, is a Research Professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) within the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, affiliated with the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry. He leads a research group at the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) at UNC, focusing on protein function and drug discovery strategies for human diseases. His work emphasizes antiviral compound development and the Target 2035 initiative, aiming to create tools for all human proteins to advance drug discovery.

Previously, he served as a Principal Investigator at the Center of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Campinas (Brazil), Team Leader/CSO at SGC-UNICAMP, and held postdoctoral positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), Otago University (New Zealand), and Rice University (USA). His expertise includes recombinant protein production, biochemical assays, and protein structure determination.

Research interests span structural biology, antiviral therapeutics, and collaborative drug discovery with academic/industrial partners. His contributions bridge basic research and translational medicine, targeting unmet clinical needs through open science initiatives like Target 2035.

Notable collaborations include projects with academic and industrial partners to advance early-stage drug discovery. He currently oversees research at SGC-UNC, focusing on functional proteomics and therapeutic target validation.