Dr. Pietro Sormanni

Biography

Pietro Sormanni is a group leader at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. His research focuses on the development of innovative data-driven technologies for rational antibody design. He aims to obtain antibodies that target challenging conditions which are difficult to access using conventional approaches, and to improve the prediction of biophysical properties crucial for the successful development of antibody therapeutics. Dr. Sormanni's work has led to numerous collaborations with industrial partners, demonstrating that computational approaches can streamline antibody development, providing time- and cost-effective alternatives. Antibodies are key tools in biomedical research, widely used in diagnostics and increasingly as therapeutics to treat diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration. Existing methods for optimizing antibody discovery often involve laborious laboratory screening of large variant libraries, which can be time-consuming and costly, resulting in antibodies with sub-optimal properties. In contrast, computational design significantly reduces the time and costs associated with antibody discovery, allowing for controlled parallel screening of multiple biophysical properties and enabling specific targeting of protein regions (epitopes). Prior to his current position, Dr. Sormanni held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge and obtained his PhD in Chemistry there as well as an MSc in Theoretical Physics from the University of Milan.

Research Interests

Experience