Gorka Lasso

Associate Professor at University College London

London, England, United Kingdom

About

I work at the intersection of computational biology and virology to develop predictive and therapeutic strategies aimed at mitigating future pandemics. My research focuses on understanding the zoonotic and pathogenic potential of newly discovered viruses, predicting how susceptible different hosts may be to specific viral infections, and designing more effective antivirals and personalized therapies that take into account both viral and host genetics. To achieve this, I apply and develop a range of computational approaches—including structural bioinformatics, network biology, and machine learning— and investigate the molecular interactions that drive infection by emerging and re-emerging zoonotic viruses.

Experience

  • Associate Professor at UCL
    Jun 2025 - Present · 1 yr 2 mos

    Our lab sits at the intersection of computational biology and virology. As globalization and climate change increase the risk of viral spillover and outbreaks, our goal is to develop predictive and therapeutic strategies to help prevent future pandemics. We focus on three main research directions: 1. Assessing the epidemic potential of newly discovered viruses 2. Predicting host susceptibility to viral infections 3. Designing improved antivirals and personalized therapies by integrating viral and host genetics To tackle these challenges, we use tools from structural bioinformatics, machine learning, and network biology, and collaborate closely with both experimental and computational teams across the UK and internationally.

  • Research Assistant Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
    Oct 2019 - May 2025 · 5 yrs 8 mos

  • Columbia University ()
    • Associate Research Scientist
      Jul 2018 - Sep 2019 · 1 yr 3 mos

    • Postdoctoral Researcher
      Aug 2013 - Jul 2018 · 5 yrs

  • Swansea University ()
    • Honorary member
      2008 - 2014 · 6 yrs

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    • Technician
      May 2007 - Dec 2007 · 8 mos

      I developed web-based tools for the prediction of function of sub-cellular location and function of alpha helical membrane proteins

    • PhD fellow
      Jan 2003 - May 2007 · 4 yrs 5 mos

      I developed computational methods to predict various aspects of alpha helical membrane proteins: i) re-entrant loops; ii) molecular function; sub-cellular localization. For this, I applied a wide range of machine learning methods (SVMs, Bayesian networks...)

  • Post-doctoral researcher at CICbioGUNE
    Feb 2008 - Jul 2013 · 5 yrs 6 mos

    I study the conformational variability various macromolecular complexes. For this, I combine cryo-electron microscopy and structural bioinformatics methods (molecular modeling and molecular dynamics).