Grzegorz Popowicz | Helmholtz Munich

Research Group Leader

+49 89 3187 3727 grzegorz.popowicz@helmholtz-munich.de

"With AI, we can imagine a future where diagnosing and treating diseases is more affordable, widely available, and thus more democratic."

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Bridge builder. Bridging life sciences and drug discovery with advanced physics and computational methods. Teaching AI quantum chemistry. Focused on structural biology to explore emerging possibilities provided by AI methods. My structural biology passion was kindled by PhD advisor prof. Rober Huber (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1988). Since then, I have been building bridges from structure to application.

Founder and CSO of Khumbu.AI. VC-supported startup developing Target Preference Mapping technology. The technology enables prediction of drug-receptor interactions at precision far above models like AlfaFold3 and screening at of 1010 ligand library in days. Now seeking to expand the technology to the entire proteome. The technology was validated by double-blinded study at big pharma and in in/ex-vivo experiments.
Build first AI model shown to generalize non-bonded interaction chemistry. The model eliminates current limitations of data scraping that offers efficient alternative to huge data generation campaigns.
Build quantum mechanics system to curate structural biology data at an electron level. Currently being integrated to CCP4, PDB-REDO, PDBe.
Provided first in class protein-ligand dynamics training dataset to the public.
Used combination of biophysics and simulation to explore disease mechanism and find new therapeutic targets.

Structural biology Biophysics of drug-receptor AI in structure-based drug discovery Quantum physics in life science Robotics in life sciences

since 2024

since 2021

since 2018

since 2020

2012 - 2018

2012 - 2020

2008 - 2012

2006 - 2012

Lorentz SM et al. Popowicz GM & Conrad M

A fin loop-like structure in GPX4 affords neuroprotection; *Co-lead author. We show disease mechanism from patient to single atoms’ dynamic and back to new therapeutic opportunity against neurodegeneration.

Napolitano, V., et al. Popowicz, GM. Pyrc, K

Acriflavine, a clinically aproved drug, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 and other betacoronaviruses

Pallesen, JS. Narayanan, D. Tran, KT. Solbak, SMO. Marseglia, G. Sorensen, LME. Hoj, LJ. Munafo, F. Carmona, RMC. Garcia, AD. Desu, HL. Brambilla, R. Johansen, TN. Popowicz, GM. Sattler, M. Gajhede, M. Bach, A.

Deconstructing Noncovalent Kelch-like ECH-Associated Protein 1 (Keap1) Inhibitors into Fragments to Reconstruct New Potent Compounds

Zaucha, J. Softley, CA. Sattler, M. Frishman, D. Popowicz, GM

Deep learning model predicts water interaction sites on the surface of proteins in limited-resolution data

Softley, CA. Zak, KM. Bostock, MJ. Fino, R. Zhou, RX. Kolonko, M. Mejdi-Nitiu, R. Meyer, H. Sattler, M. Popowicz, GM

Structure and molecular recognition mechanism of IMP-13 metallo-β-lactamase

Doll, S., et al. Popowicz, GM and Conrad, M

FSP1 is a glutathione-independent ferroptosis suppressor

Ostertag, MS. Messias, AC. Sattler, M. Popowicz GM

The Structure of the SPOP-Pdx1 Interface Reveals Insights into the Phosphorylation-Dependent Binding Regulation

Dawidowski, M. Emmanouilidis, L. Kalel. VC. Tripsianes, K. Schorpp, K. Hadian, K. Kaiser, M. Maeser, P. Kolonko, M. Tanghe, S. Rodriguez, A. Schliebs, W. Erdmann, R. Sattler, M. Popowicz, GM

Inhibitors of PEX14 disrupt protein import into glycosomes and kill Trypanosoma parasites

Hennig, J. Militti, C. Popowicz, GM. Wang, I. Sonntag, M. Geerlof, A. Gabel, F. Gebauer, F. Sattler, M

Structural basis for the assembly of the Sxl–UNR translation regulatory complex

Baek, S. Kutchukian, PS. Verdine, GL. Huber, R. Holak, TA. Lee, KW. Popowicz, GM

Structure of the stapled p53 peptide bound to Mdm2

Mishra, SK. Ammon, T. Popowicz, GM. Krajewski, M. Nagel, RJ. Ares, M. Holak, TA. Jentsch

Role of the ubiquitin-like protein Hub1 in splice-site usage and alternative splicing.