- about us
The story of CRAFT
The significant social and global impact imposed by infectious diseases, coupled with the inherent scientific complexities in drug discovery, served as the driving force for the establishment of CRAFT.
The journey towards creating CRAFT began in 2013 when teams led by Professors Cristina Nonato and Flávio Emery embarked on a fruitful collaboration with the aim of understanding the structural and functional characteristics of the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) in various species. This effort utilized various chemical tools, resulting in the discovery of nanomolar-scale inhibitors for DHODH across different species.
The success of this endeavor facilitated the expansion of activities, culminating in the integration of AI and CADD specialist, Professor Carolina Andrade, into the team, transforming CRAFT into a multicenter platform. Serving as a collaborative hub, CRAFT fosters connections among experts from diverse areas, bringing together research centers from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at USP in Ribeirão Preto and the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Federal University of Goiás.
CRAFT is a Brazilian nonprofit research center affiliated with academia, in a collaboration between research groups from the University of São Paulo and the Federal University of Goiás.
The center is leading the use of Fragment-Based Drug Discovery (FBDD), a cutting-edge approach in the development of therapeutics for infectious diseases. Additionally, CRAFT utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) in drug discovery to accelerate the identification of candidates with higher potential for success.
CRAFT aims to position itself as a leader in the search for treatments for prevalent endemic diseases in Latin America and the Global South, to develop the drug discovery field in Brazil and Latin America.
- Our mission
At CRAFT, our mission is guided by three fundamental pillars
Together, we are shaping the future of pharmaceutical research, promoting innovation, collaboration, and positive impact on global health.
Cultivate
scientific
leadership
Cultivate scientific leadership
We are committed to fostering a new generation of scientific leadership in drug discovery. We invest in the development and empowerment of young talents, inspiring them to innovate and lead significant advancements in pharmaceutical research.
Promoting the
culture of drug
discovery
Promoting the culture of drug discovery
By integrating the country's scientific capabilities with national and international pharmaceutical industries, we aim to drive collaboration and knowledge exchange, thereby accelerating the development of innovative therapies.
Supporting
public health
Supporting public health
We are committed to supporting the resolution of public health needs in Brazil and worldwide. Our research and collaborations are aimed at addressing significant health challenges, contributing to the advancement of treatment and prevention of diseases affecting communities across the country.
- partners
Partners contributing to the advancement of research and drug discovery at CRAFT
These partners include renowned laboratories, academic institutions, and pharmaceutical industries, with whom we collaborate to drive innovation, expand our reach, and translate science into tangible solutions for the health challenges faced in our region and beyond.
- laboratories
Scientific alliances for transformative discoveries
Our laboratory partners represent leading institutions in scientific and pharmaceutical research, providing resources, specialized expertise, and cutting-edge technology to drive our drug discovery initiatives.
Our laboratory partners represent leading institutions in scientific and pharmaceutical research, providing resources, specialized expertise, and cutting-edge technology to drive our drug discovery initiatives.
Drug Design and Molecular Modeling Laboratory (LabMol)
Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Goiás (FF/UFG)
Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Goiás (FF/UFG)
The Drug Design and Molecular Modeling Laboratory is located at the Faculty of Pharmacy of UFG. The main space is a 60 m2 laboratory with air conditioning and equipment for protection against power outages (UPS and generator), equipped for 15-18 people, and dedicated to state-of-the-art cheminformatics and computer-aided drug design (CADD). In terms of hardware, LabMol has computers with RTX 4070Ti GPU with 64 GB of RAM, with RTX 3060Ti GPU with 32 GB of RAM, NVIDIA Titan XP GPU and 256 GB of RAM, and a Dell PowerEdge R730 rack server with 48 CPU processors (2 Intel Xeon 2.5GHz). The laboratory has academic licenses for ChemAxon and OpenEye Cadence Molecular Sciences software, as well as automated workflows developed in Python. The laboratory has licenses for the following computational packages: Multipurpose modeling and visualization environment: Maestro v. 9.1.207 (Schrödinger, Inc.); SYBYL-X v. 1.2 (Certara, Inc.); PyMOL v. 1.3 (Schrödinger, Inc.); UCSF Chimera, v.1.5 (UCSF); among several others.
LCP - Protein Crystallography Laboratory
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto University of São Paulo
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto University of São Paulo
The Protein Crystallography Laboratory is part of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto at the University of São Paulo. The main space is an 80 m2 laboratory, equipped for 8-10 people, and dedicated to state-of-the-art structural biology. Available items include benches, storage space, specialized glassware, specialized tools for crystal manipulation and freezing, 3 cryogenic dewars, Milli Q water system, microanalytical and analytical balances, PCR machine, sonicator, Milli Q water system, benchtop and floor centrifuges, 2 liquid chromatography systems, spectrophotometer, microvolume spectrophotometer, Dynamic Light Scattering Instrument, protein crystallization robot, plate reader, real-time PCR, 2 crystallization rooms (6 °C and 21 °C), stereomicroscope. A second laboratory (120 square feet) is dedicated to computational studies and a table for students and postdoctoral fellows. Members of the Protein Crystallography Laboratory research group have access to 3 workstations and open-source software for structure manipulation and refinement of crystallographic studies, as well as for performing molecular dynamics simulations. The University of São Paulo provides unlimited Google Drive cloud storage for data storage.
QHETEM
Heterocyclic and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory
Heterocyclic and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory
The Heterocyclic and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory is located in two laboratories at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto at the University of São Paulo. The main space is a 74-square-meter laboratory, equipped for 8-10 people, and dedicated to state-of-the-art organic synthesis. Available items include benches equipped with hoods and gas lines, storage space, specialized glassware, ovens, rotary evaporators, vacuum pumps, microanalytical balances, automated purification system, and multiple solvent purification systems. A second laboratory (approximately 9 square meters) is dedicated to NMR spectrometry and spectrophotometry and is mainly equipped with a Bruker Fourier300 NMR spectrometer (300 MHz).
