My research is focused on molecular recognition in biocatalysis, enzyme inhibition and signal transduction. We study the interaction of ligands and proteins via X-ray crystallography, binding assays, kinetics as well as biophysical and spectroscopic techniques. A main aim is to characterize the molecular principles of interaction leading to specificity, catalysis as well as conformational changes such as domain motions. This information is used to understand the mode of action of enzymes, receptors and other proteins and also to apply it to structure-based rational design of novel biocatalysts and pharmacologically relevant protein inhibitors. In addition to experimental methods, computational tools are a key method to rationalize structure-function relationships as well as for enzyme or inhibitor design.