Info
Mol* (pronounced “mol-star”) is an open-source, web-native 3D molecular visualization tool. Jointly developed by PDBe and RCSB PDB, building on the earlier LiteMol (PDBe) and NGL (RCSB) viewers. Primary 3D viewer for both PDBe and RCSB PDB websites, as well as AlphaFold DB. Can handle 100s of millions of atoms in-browser.
Why Mol* matters for the landscape
Mol* is a direct product of wwPDB collaboration. It’s the “official” viewer for the two largest PDB portals, making it a key infrastructure node. Its development is co-funded by NSF (to RCSB) and BBSRC (to PDBe), with additional contributions from CEITEC in Czech Republic.
People
| Name | Role | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| David Sehnal | Lead developer | CEITEC / Masaryk University / PDBe |
| Sebastian Bittrich | Developer | RCSB PDB / UCSD |
| Alexander S. Rose | Developer (NGL heritage) | RCSB PDB / UCSD |
| Mandar Deshpande | Developer | PDBe / EMBL-EBI |
| Radka Svobodova | Developer | CEITEC / Masaryk University |
| Sameer Velankar | PI (PDBe side) | PDBe / EMBL-EBI |
| Stephen K. Burley | PI (RCSB side) | RCSB PDB / Rutgers |
| Jaroslav Koca | PI (CEITEC side) | CEITEC / Masaryk University |
Funding
- NSF DBI-2129634 (PI: Stephen K. Burley, to RCSB PDB)
- BBSRC BB/W017970/1 (PI: Sameer Velankar, to PDBe)
- Also supported through RCSB PDB and PDBe core operations funding
- BioData CF at CEITEC MU (LM2023055)
Key Relationships
- Official viewer for RCSB PDB and PDBe websites
- Used by AlphaFold DB (also at EMBL-EBI)
- Development bridges US (RCSB PDB), UK (PDBe), and Czech Republic (CEITEC)
- Competes with desktop tools ChimeraX and PyMOL for visualization, but web-native
- MolViewSpec extension for shareable molecular scenes
Key Reference
Sehnal et al., NAR 49(W1), W431-W437 (2021). doi:10.1093/nar/gkab314