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August 15, 2018

Archived: Interview With a Scientist - Rommie Amaro: Computational and Theoretical Model Builder

By Chris Palmer and Alisa Zapp Machalek
Many researchers who search for anti-cancer drugs have labs filled with chemicals and tissue samples. Not Rommie Amaro. Her work uses computers to analyze the shape and behavior of a protein called p53. Defective versions of p53 are associated with more human cancers than any other malfunctioning protein. The goal of Amaro’s work is to find ways to restore the function of defective p53 protein in cancer cells. Her research team at the University of California, San Diego, discovered how to do just    that—according to their computer models, at least—by fitting small molecules into a pocket in malfunctioning p53 proteins. Amaro founded a biotechnology company to bring this computational work closer to a real cure for cancer. She also explained her research in the 2017 DeWitt Stetten Jr. Lecture titled Computing Cures: Discovery Through the Lens of a Computational Microscope. NIGMS has supported Amaro’s work since 2006 under P41GM103426, U01GM111528, R25GM114821, and F32GM077729.
topic Being a Scientist , Molecular Structures , Tools and Techniques
tag Cancer , Computational Biology , Modeling , Proteins

About the Authors

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Chris Palmer

Alisa Zapp Machalek

Alisa Zapp Machalek

Originally trained in biochemistry, Alisa wrote about the full range of NIGMS-supported research before transferring to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in April 2020. She managed the NIGMS image and video gallery, and helped foster science education at NIH.