Info
UCSF ChimeraX is the next-generation molecular visualization and analysis program from the Resource for Biocomputing, Visualization, and Informatics (RBVI) at UCSF. Successor to UCSF Chimera (52,000+ citations). Free for noncommercial use. Developed in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Supports cryo-EM maps, crystal structures, integrative models, VR, light-sheet microscopy, and medical imaging.
People
| Name | Role | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Ferrin | PI / RBVI Director; Funding acquisition | UCSF |
| Thomas Goddard | Lead developer (visualization algorithms) | UCSF |
| Eric Pettersen | Lead developer (UI, atomic representation) | UCSF |
| Elaine Meng | Developer | UCSF |
| Conrad Huang | Developer | UCSF |
| Gregory Couch | Developer | UCSF |
| John H. Morris | Developer; Funding acquisition | UCSF |
| Zach Pearson | Developer | UCSF |
Notable plugin developers
| Name | Plugin | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Tristan Croll | ISOLDE (interactive model building) | University of Cambridge |
Funding
- NIH/NIGMS R01 GM129325
- NIH R24 GM141254
- NIAID Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (EOSS4-0000000439)
- Historical: NIH P41-GM103311 (2000-2018, RBVI resource grant)
Key Relationships
- Thomas Ferrin is a co-author on PDB-IHM / IHMCIF papers with Dr. Brinda Vallat, Stephen K. Burley, Dr. Andrej Sali
- ChimeraX integrates with PHENIX for refinement
- PHENIX planning ChimeraX integration (mentioned on PHENIX site)
- Competes with PyMOL (commercial, Schrodinger) and Mol* (web-based)
- RBVI is at UCSF, same institution as Dr. Andrej Sali (RCSB PDB UCSF site head)
- Thomas Ferrin co-authored the 2015 wwPDB IHM Task Force workshop paper
Key Reference
Meng et al., Protein Science 32(11):e4792 (2023). doi:10.1002/pro.4792