Sacchettini Laboratory

At Sacchettini Lab, we combine biochemistry,
AI and atomic-level structural information
to drive drug discovery.

Read about the story of the visualization

Who we are

The Sacchettini Lab, or SACLab, as we call it, is a structure-guided inhibitor design research lab at Texas A&M University. We have three decades of experience studying how proteins interact with substrates and inhibitors.

The lab is led by Dr. James C. Sacchettini, Professor at Texas A&M University, whose work centers on early-stage drug discovery for infectious disease and therapeutic development.

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Research Focus

Our research areas include tuberculosis, cancer, parasitic diseases, and rare genetic disorders.

We use structural, biochemical, and AI/ML-driven computational approaches to identify vulnerable biological pathways, understand mechanisms of drug action and resistance, and use structures to guide discovery.

Tuberculosis

We leverage structural and biochemical information to study mycobacterial biology and identify targets vulnerable to chemical inhibition.

Cancer

We emphasize identifying small molecules that overcome drug resistance in tumors, particularly lymphomas and ovarian cancers.

Anti Virals

We focus on the discovery of small-molecule antivirals targeting essential and conserved viral functions through target-based strategies.

Rare & Neglected Diseases

We investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying rare genetic disorders such as Menkes disease and familial ALS.

AI & Computation

We build ML models, AI agents, and software tools for compound assessment and experimental workflows.

Lab Facilities

The lab supports automated liquid handling, optical signal plate readers, NanoTemper binding testing instruments, computational analysis, and high-throughput mass spectrometry. The SCIEX Echo® MS+ system enables rapid, contactless analysis of large sample sets using Acoustic Ejection Mass Spectrometry and delivers high-quality data at sampling rates of up to one sample per second.

High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry – SCIEX Echo® MS+

Structural Biology

High Throughput Screening

Pharmacology

AI & Computational

Recent Work

Selected publications and collaborative work representing our recent progress and ongoing research efforts are featured below.

ALl PUBLICATIONS

Nature
SuFEx-based antitubercular compound
irreversibly inhibits Pks13.

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Nature Communications
Mycobacterial biotin synthases require an auxiliary protein to convert dethiobiotin into biotin.

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Cell
Discovery of natural-product-derived sequanamycins as potent oral anti-tuberculosis agents

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Our network

Our research is conducted through major collaborative global efforts, supported by the 30+ collaborating labs and partners across TB research, structural biology, and drug discovery, working alongside leading pharmaceutical and AI-driven discovery companies.

Funders

Industry partners

Texas A&M collaborators

Partner institutions

Research facilities

Consortia

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Our Team

We are a close-knit group of cross-disciplinary experts in structural biology, biochemistry and AI/ML. We work across disciplines to advance ideas and science together.

PEOPLE

Join us

We welcome graduate students, postdocs, and collaborators interested in structural biology and disease.

If you’re interested in structural biology, infectious disease, or structure-guided drug discovery, and want to work in a collaborative, supportive environment, we’d love to hear from you.

GET IN TOUCH

At Sacchettini Lab, we combine biochemistry,AI and atomic-level structural informationto drive drug discovery.