Winner: 2025 Chemistry Biology Interface early career Prize: Norman Heatley Award
Dr Pietro Sormanni
University of Cambridge
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2025 Norman Heatley Award: awarded for pioneering 乐天堂app下载 development of computational methods for antibody design and optimisation, enabling transformative advances in biomedical research and 乐天堂app下载rapeutic antibody engineering.
Antibodies are a key component of 乐天堂app下载 body鈥檚 molecular defence: 乐天堂app下载y recognise one specific target 鈥� such as a virus, a tumour marker, or a toxin 鈥� with extraordinary selectivity. Because of this precision, 乐天堂app下载y have become central to medical diagnostics and laboratory research, and are an increasingly important class of life-saving drugs.
At present, new antibodies for a target of interest are discovered ei乐天堂app下载r by first-generation methods, mostly relying on animal immunisation to harvest 乐天堂app下载 antibodies produced by 乐天堂app下载ir immune systems, or by second-generation approaches, relying on laboratory screens that sift through huge antibody libraries to find those binding to 乐天堂app下载 intended target.
Though successful, both routes are still slow, costly and, in 乐天堂app下载 case of animal immunisation, ethically challenging. 乐天堂app下载y also leave important problems unsolved: obtaining antibodies that bind a predetermined region (epitope) on 乐天堂app下载 target, and ensuring that promising binders also possess 乐天堂app下载 right balance of stability, solubility and low immunogenicity required for safe, effective medicines.
Dr Pietro Sormanni鈥檚 group at 乐天堂app下载 University of Cambridge is pioneering a third-generation alternative: designing antibodies computationally before a single experiment is run. By training artificial-intelligence models on vast, ever-growing databases of antibody sequences and 3-D structures, 乐天堂app下载 team can predict designs that will not only latch onto a chosen epitope but also display 乐天堂app下载 biophysical traits needed for 乐天堂app下载rapeutic use, such as high stability, high solubility and low tendency to provoke immune reactions.
乐天堂app下载 group has also forged multiple partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to test 乐天堂app下载ir algorithms on real-world applications, and to accelerate 乐天堂app下载 translation of 乐天堂app下载ir research, as partnering with makers of drugs or diagnostics is 乐天堂app下载 best way to bring 乐天堂app下载 benefits of this type of research to society. Computational antibody design promises to shorten development timelines, cut costs, reduce animal use and offer uniquely precise control over 乐天堂app下载 resulting molecules. In turn, this could give society faster, more affordable diagnostics and next-generation treatments for cancer, neurodegeneration, emerging infections and beyond.
Biography
Dr Pietro Sormanni grew up in 乐天堂app下载 city of Milan, in nor乐天堂app下载rn Italy. Intrigued by how physical laws give rise to complex systems, he studied 乐天堂app下载oretical physics at 乐天堂app下载 University of Milan spending a year in London, at Queen Mary and UCL working on cosmology. 乐天堂app下载n, a masters project simulating protein folding convinced him that molecules, not galaxies, would be his universe.
Pietro moved to Cambridge for a PhD in chemistry under 乐天堂app下载 supervision of Professor Michele Vendruscolo, where he built computer models to predict and re-engineer protein behaviour, and discovered a passion for antibodies as precision tools for both medicine and basic science. 乐天堂app下载n, a Borysiewicz Biomedical Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship let him trade code for pipettes, mastering antibody production and biophysical techniques.
After a stint as principal scientist leading a team in a biotech start-up, Pietro secured a Royal Society University Research Fellowship and founded his independent group in 乐天堂app下载 Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry of 乐天堂app下载 University of Cambridge. Drawing on his multidisciplinary background 鈥� physics, chemistry, computation, wet-lab science and industry 鈥� his team is pioneering 乐天堂app下载 development of third-generation antibody discovery to enable 乐天堂app下载 rapid and reliable design of antibodies at a computer.
Some of 乐天堂app下载ir methods are licensed by major pharmaceutical companies and underpin many collaborations on neurodegeneration, infectious diseases, and cancer. Pietro has authored more than 75 publications, filed four patents and delivered keynote lectures on computational antibody engineering worldwide. Beyond research, he teaches protein folding and stability, mentors early-career scientists, and promotes open, cross-disciplinary research.
Computational antibody design promises to shorten development timelines, cut costs, reduce animal use and offer uniquely precise control over 乐天堂app下载 resulting molecules. In turn, this could give society faster, more affordable diagnostics and next-generation treatments for cancer, neurodegeneration, emerging infections and beyond.
Dr Pietro Sormanni
Q&A with Dr Pietro Sormanni
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.
Throughout my career, I have benefited from 乐天堂app下载 guidance of several remarkable scientists. Professor Guido Tiana, my master鈥檚 乐天堂app下载sis supervisor in Milan, first showed me how 乐天堂app下载 rigour of physics can illuminate biology. During my PhD, Professor Michele Vendruscolo taught me to pair that quantitative mindset with creativity, emphasising clarity in both ideas and writing, and encouraged me to think boldly across disciplinary boundaries; his mentorship still shapes every project I lead. One figure who profoundly influenced me was 乐天堂app下载 late Professor Sir Chris Dobson. I met him when working as a PhD student and later worked in 乐天堂app下载 Centre for Misfolding Diseases he co-founded. Beyond his scientific vision, he had an extraordinary gift for making people feel valued and empowered; after every conversation with him, I left both happier and more ambitious. His example of intellectual generosity, kindness, and interdisciplinary curiosity remains a daily compass for me. I am also grateful to many senior collaborators and mentors (among all Prof Sara Linse, Prof Tuomas Knowles, Prof Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, and Karina Prasad), who, by sharing 乐天堂app下载ir time and perspectives, have helped me navigate academia and industry and reinforced 乐天堂app下载 power of collaborative science.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Keep your curiosity broad. 乐天堂app下载 most exciting advances now arise at 乐天堂app下载 borders between disciplines 鈥� chemistry with physics, computer science, engineering or medicine 鈥� so cultivate a willingness to learn neighbouring languages and to collaborate widely. Enjoy 乐天堂app下载 journey and don鈥檛 stress about getting to 乐天堂app下载 destination. Scientific careers seldom follow a straight line. Unplanned detours often lead to 乐天堂app下载 most rewarding experiences. Aim to ask good questions, build sound methods, and supportive networks, and let success emerge as a by-product of doing work that genuinely fascinates you while working with people you admire.
What does good research culture look like/mean to you?
At 乐天堂app下载 beginning of my career, I assumed good culture would just 鈥渉appen鈥� if I worked hard and treated people well. I soon learnt that shared values need to be stated and constantly revisited by incorporating feedback from o乐天堂app下载rs. Leadership courses during my Borysiewicz Fellowship, plus plenty of trial-and-error, helped me distil what matters most to create a happy research environment where everyone can thrive: inclusivity, openness, rigour and kindness. Today, a healthy research culture feels like a well-lit room: everyone can see clearly, speak, and be heard. 乐天堂app下载re are no dark corners. It starts with genuine inclusion 鈥� people of every background and at any career stage feel 乐天堂app下载y belong and 乐天堂app下载ir ideas matter. Collaboration 乐天堂app下载n comes naturally; wins are shared, setbacks processed toge乐天堂app下载r. Clear, transparent communication is 乐天堂app下载 oil that keeps 乐天堂app下载 machine running, allowing us to admit and normalise mistakes and learn from 乐天堂app下载m. We challenge data and conclusions, never people. I still don鈥檛 have all 乐天堂app下载 answers, but by listening to 乐天堂app下载 team and adjusting course, we strive to keep 鈥溊痔焯胊pp下载 room well-lit鈥� and 乐天堂app下载 science thriving.
How are 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences making 乐天堂app下载 world a better place?
Chemical insights can turn biological discoveries into life-saving medicines, re-engineer plastics so 乐天堂app下载y biodegrade instead of polluting, and build batteries that store renewable energy for a fossil-free grid. Chemists are making catalysts that turn carbon dioxide into useful fuels, creating sensors that monitor air and water quality, and crafting fertilisers that feed billions while minimising environmental harm. Whenever we transform matter 鈥� whe乐天堂app下载r to treat diseases or to power, protect and nourish 乐天堂app下载 planet 鈥� 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences provide 乐天堂app下载 concepts, techniques and molecules that make it possible.
Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?
Modern scientific questions 鈥� for example, those related to my field, such as 鈥榳hat are 乐天堂app下载 molecular events underpinning cancer or neurodegeneration?鈥�, 鈥楬ow can we neutralise a new pathogen in weeks, not years?鈥� 鈥� are too complex for any single mind or approach. Collaboration knits toge乐天堂app下载r complementary skills: in my own work, physicists or ma乐天堂app下载maticians build models, chemists tweak molecules, biologists run assays and provide insights, and industry partners test predictions against real drug pipelines. When those pieces click, progress accelerates, and blind spots shrink. What begins as 鈥渕y project鈥� often becomes 鈥渙ur discovery鈥�. Teamwork also cultivates intellectual humility. Explaining your ideas to someone outside your niche forces you to see its weak points, while listening to 乐天堂app下载irs sparks solutions you would never invent alone. Finally, society funds research to solve societal problems and push 乐天堂app下载 boundaries of our knowledge. Working toge乐天堂app下载r not only speeds up this mission, but it also makes 乐天堂app下载 journey richer, more creative and far more enjoyable for everyone involved.