ACADEMIC PROFILES
SOCIAL
REPOSITORIES
CONTACTS
+39 049 827 7964
BIOGRAPHY
Alexander Monzon is an associate professor (RTDA researcher) in the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Padova, Italy.
He currently conducts research on non-globular proteins, specifically disordered and repetitive proteins. Alexander has made significant contributions to the field of Bioinformatics and has co-authored several important databases, including DisProt, RepeatsDB, MobiDB, PED, and FuzDB. These databases represent the current state-of-the-art knowledge in the structural biology of non-globular proteins. He actively participates in various networks, scientific societies, and international consortia, such as the ISCB student council, A2B2C, COST-action “NGP-net,” MSCA RISE “IDPfun” and “REFRACT”, and the H2020 Twinning project “PhasAGE” Additionally, he was the main proposer of the COST action “ML4NGP.”
ACADEMIC POSITION
Assistant professor – tenure track
(since 12/2024)
ACADEMIC CAREER & DEGREES
- 2018 – PhD in Basic and Applied Sciences
National University of Quilmes – Argentina - 2012 – MSc in Bioinformatic
National University of Entre Ríos – Argentina
LANGUAGES
English
Italian
Spanish
(Upper Advanced)
(Upper Advanced)
(Native)
2025
Journal Articles
Damiano Clementel; Paula Nazarena Arrías; Soroush Mozaffari; Zarifa Osmanli; Ximena Aixa Castro; RepeatsDB Curators; Carlo Ferrari; Andrey V. Kajava; Silvio C. E. Tosatto; Alexander Miguel Monzon
RepeatsDB in 2025: expanding annotations of structured tandem repeats proteins on AlphaFoldDB Journal Article
In: Nucleic Acids Research, vol. 53, no. D1, pp. D575-D581, 2025, (Cited by: 2; Open Access).
@article{SCOPUS_ID:85211995276,
title = {RepeatsDB in 2025: expanding annotations of structured tandem repeats proteins on AlphaFoldDB},
author = {Damiano Clementel and Paula Nazarena Arrías and Soroush Mozaffari and Zarifa Osmanli and Ximena Aixa Castro and RepeatsDB Curators and Carlo Ferrari and Andrey V. Kajava and Silvio C. E. Tosatto and Alexander Miguel Monzon},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85211995276&origin=inward},
doi = {10.1093/nar/gkae965},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Nucleic Acids Research},
volume = {53},
number = {D1},
pages = {D575-D581},
publisher = {Oxford University Press},
abstract = {© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.RepeatsDB (URL: https://repeatsdb.org) stands as a key resource for the classification and annotation of Structured Tandem Repeat Proteins (STRPs), incorporating data from both the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and AlphaFoldDB. This latest release features substantial advancements, including annotations for over 34 000 unique protein sequences from >2000 organisms, representing a fifteenfold increase in coverage. Leveraging state-of-the-art structural alignment tools, RepeatsDB now offers faster and more precise detection of STRPs across both experimental and predicted structures. Key improvements also include a redesigned user interface and enhanced web server, providing an intuitive browsing experience with improved data searchability and accessibility. A new statistics page allows users to explore database metrics based on repeat classifications, while API enhancements support scalability to manage the growing volume of data. These advancements not only refine the understanding of STRPs but also streamline annotation processes, further strengthening RepeatsDB’s role in advancing our understanding of STRP functions.},
note = {Cited by: 2; Open Access},
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2024
Journal Articles
Hamidreza Ghafouri; Tamas Lazar; Alessio Del Conte; Luiggi G. Tenorio Ku; Peter Tompa; Silvio C. E. Tosatto; Alexander Miguel Monzon; Maria C. Aspromonte; Pau Bernadó; Belén Chaves-Arquero; Lucia Beatriz Chemes; Damiano Clementel; Tiago N. Cordeiro; Carlos A. Elena-Real; Michael Feig; Isabella C. Felli; Carlo Ferrari; Julie D. Forman-Kay; Tiago Gomes; Frank Gondelaud; Claudiu C. Gradinaru; Tâp Ha-Duong; Teresa Head-Gordon; Pétur O. Heidarsson; Giacomo Janson; Gunnar Jeschke; Emanuela Leonardi; Zi Hao Liu; Sonia Longhi; Xamuel L. Lund; Maria J. Macias; Pau Martin-Malpartida; Davide Mercadante; Assia Mouhand; Gabor Nagy; María Victoria Nugnes; José Manuel Pérez-Cañadillas; Giulia Pesce; Roberta Pierattelli; Damiano Piovesan; Federica Quaglia; Sylvie Ricard-Blum; Paul Robustelli; Amin Sagar; Edoardo Salladini; Lucile Sénicourt; Nathalie Sibille; João M. C. Teixeira; Thomas E. Tsangaris; Mihaly Varadi
PED in 2024: improving the community deposition of structural ensembles for intrinsically disordered proteins Journal Article
In: Nucleic Acids Research, vol. 52, no. D1, pp. D536-D544, 2024, (Cited by: 14; Open Access).
@article{SCOPUS_ID:85181761325,
title = {PED in 2024: improving the community deposition of structural ensembles for intrinsically disordered proteins},
author = {Hamidreza Ghafouri and Tamas Lazar and Alessio Del Conte and Luiggi G. Tenorio Ku and Peter Tompa and Silvio C. E. Tosatto and Alexander Miguel Monzon and Maria C. Aspromonte and Pau Bernadó and Belén Chaves-Arquero and Lucia Beatriz Chemes and Damiano Clementel and Tiago N. Cordeiro and Carlos A. Elena-Real and Michael Feig and Isabella C. Felli and Carlo Ferrari and Julie D. Forman-Kay and Tiago Gomes and Frank Gondelaud and Claudiu C. Gradinaru and Tâp Ha-Duong and Teresa Head-Gordon and Pétur O. Heidarsson and Giacomo Janson and Gunnar Jeschke and Emanuela Leonardi and Zi Hao Liu and Sonia Longhi and Xamuel L. Lund and Maria J. Macias and Pau Martin-Malpartida and Davide Mercadante and Assia Mouhand and Gabor Nagy and María Victoria Nugnes and José Manuel Pérez-Cañadillas and Giulia Pesce and Roberta Pierattelli and Damiano Piovesan and Federica Quaglia and Sylvie Ricard-Blum and Paul Robustelli and Amin Sagar and Edoardo Salladini and Lucile Sénicourt and Nathalie Sibille and João M. C. Teixeira and Thomas E. Tsangaris and Mihaly Varadi},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85181761325&origin=inward},
doi = {10.1093/nar/gkad947},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Nucleic Acids Research},
volume = {52},
number = {D1},
pages = {D536-D544},
publisher = {Oxford University Press},
abstract = {© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.The Protein Ensemble Database (PED) (URL: https://proteinensemble.org) is the primary resource for depositing structural ensembles of intrinsically disordered proteins. This updated version of PED reflects advancements in the field, denoting a continual expansion with a total of 461 entries and 538 ensembles, including those generated without explicit experimental data through novel machine learning (ML) techniques. With this significant increment in the number of ensembles, a few yet-unprecedented new entries entered the database, including those also determined or refined by electron paramagnetic resonance or circular dichroism data. In addition, PED was enriched with several new features, including a novel deposition service, improved user interface, new database cross-referencing options and integration with the 3D-Beacons network—all representing efforts to improve the FAIRness of the database. Foreseeably, PED will keep growing in size and expanding with new types of ensembles generated by accurate and fast ML-based generative models and coarse-grained simulations. Therefore, among future efforts, priority will be given to further develop the database to be compatible with ensembles modeled at a coarse-grained level.},
note = {Cited by: 14; Open Access},
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Omar Abdelghani Attafi; Damiano Clementel; Konstantinos Kyritsis; Emidio Capriotti; Gavin Farrell; Styliani-Christina Fragkouli; Leyla Jael Castro; András Hatos; Tom Lenaerts; Stanislav Mazurenko; Soroush Mozaffari; Franco Pradelli; Patrick Ruch; Castrense Savojardo; Paola Turina; Federico Zambelli; Damiano Piovesan; Alexander Miguel Monzon; Fotis Psomopoulos; Silvio C. E. Tosatto
DOME Registry: implementing community-wide recommendations for reporting supervised machine learning in biology Journal Article
In: GigaScience, vol. 13, 2024, (Cited by: 0; Open Access).
@article{SCOPUS_ID:85212459848,
title = {DOME Registry: implementing community-wide recommendations for reporting supervised machine learning in biology},
author = {Omar Abdelghani Attafi and Damiano Clementel and Konstantinos Kyritsis and Emidio Capriotti and Gavin Farrell and Styliani-Christina Fragkouli and Leyla Jael Castro and András Hatos and Tom Lenaerts and Stanislav Mazurenko and Soroush Mozaffari and Franco Pradelli and Patrick Ruch and Castrense Savojardo and Paola Turina and Federico Zambelli and Damiano Piovesan and Alexander Miguel Monzon and Fotis Psomopoulos and Silvio C. E. Tosatto},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85212459848&origin=inward},
doi = {10.1093/gigascience/giae094},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {GigaScience},
volume = {13},
publisher = {Oxford University Press},
abstract = {© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press GigaScience.Supervised machine learning (ML) is used extensively in biology and deserves closer scrutiny. The Data Optimization Model Evaluation (DOME) recommendations aim to enhance the validation and reproducibility of ML research by establishing standards for key aspects such as data handling and processing, optimization, evaluation, and model interpretability. The recommendations help to ensure that key details are reported transparently by providing a structured set of questions. Here, we introduce the DOME registry (URL: registry.dome-ml.org), a database that allows scientists to manage and access comprehensive DOME-related information on published ML studies. The registry uses external resources like ORCID, APICURON, and the Data Stewardship Wizard to streamline the annotation process and ensure comprehensive documentation. By assigning unique identifiers and DOME scores to publications, the registry fosters a standardized evaluation of ML methods. Future plans include continuing to grow the registry through community curation, improving the DOME score definition and encouraging publishers to adopt DOME standards, and promoting transparency and reproducibility of ML in the life sciences.},
note = {Cited by: 0; Open Access},
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Paula Nazarena Arrías; Zarifa Osmanli; Estefanía Peralta; Patricio Manuel Chinestrad; Alexander Miguel Monzon; Silvio C. E. Tosatto
Diversity and structural-functional insights of alpha-solenoid proteins Journal Article
In: Protein Science, vol. 33, no. 11, 2024, (Cited by: 0; Open Access).
@article{SCOPUS_ID:85207813713,
title = {Diversity and structural-functional insights of alpha-solenoid proteins},
author = {Paula Nazarena Arrías and Zarifa Osmanli and Estefanía Peralta and Patricio Manuel Chinestrad and Alexander Miguel Monzon and Silvio C. E. Tosatto},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85207813713&origin=inward},
doi = {10.1002/pro.5189},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Protein Science},
volume = {33},
number = {11},
publisher = {John Wiley and Sons Inc},
abstract = {© 2024 The Author(s). Protein Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Protein Society.Alpha-solenoids are a significant and diverse subset of structured tandem repeat proteins (STRPs) that are important in various domains of life. This review examines their structural and functional diversity and highlights their role in critical cellular processes such as signaling, apoptosis, and transcriptional regulation. Alpha-solenoids can be classified into three geometric folds: low curvature, high curvature, and corkscrew, as well as eight subfolds: ankyrin repeats; Huntingtin, elongation factor 3, protein phosphatase 2A, and target of rapamycin; armadillo repeats; tetratricopeptide repeats; pentatricopeptide repeats; Pumilio repeats; transcription activator-like; and Sel-1 and Sel-1-like repeats. These subfolds represent distinct protein families with unique structural properties and functions, highlighting the versatility of alpha-solenoids. The review also discusses their association with disease, highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets and their role in protein design. Advances in state-of-the-art structure prediction methods provide new opportunities and challenges in the functional characterization and classification of this kind of fold, emphasizing the need for continued development of methods for their identification and proper data curation and deposition in the main databases.},
note = {Cited by: 0; Open Access},
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Soroush Mozaffari; Paula Nazarena Arrías; Damiano Clementel; Damiano Piovesan; Carlo Ferrari; Silvio C. E. Tosatto; Alexander Miguel Monzon
STRPsearch: fast detection of structured tandem repeat proteins Journal Article
In: Bioinformatics, vol. 40, no. 12, 2024, (Cited by: 0; Open Access).
@article{SCOPUS_ID:85211966531,
title = {STRPsearch: fast detection of structured tandem repeat proteins},
author = {Soroush Mozaffari and Paula Nazarena Arrías and Damiano Clementel and Damiano Piovesan and Carlo Ferrari and Silvio C. E. Tosatto and Alexander Miguel Monzon},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85211966531&origin=inward},
doi = {10.1093/bioinformatics/btae690},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Bioinformatics},
volume = {40},
number = {12},
publisher = {Oxford University Press},
abstract = {© The Author(s) 2024.Motivation: Structured Tandem Repeats Proteins (STRPs) constitute a subclass of tandem repeats characterized by repetitive structural motifs. These proteins exhibit distinct secondary structures that form repetitive tertiary arrangements, often resulting in large molecular assemblies. Despite highly variable sequences, STRPs can perform important and diverse biological functions, maintaining a consistent structure with a variable number of repeat units. With the advent of protein structure prediction methods, millions of 3D models of proteins are now publicly available. However, automatic detection of STRPs remains challenging with current state-of-the-art tools due to their lack of accuracy and long execution times, hindering their application on large datasets. In most cases, manual curation remains the most accurate method for detecting and classifying STRPs, making it impracticable to annotate millions of structures. Results: We introduce STRPsearch, a novel tool for the rapid identification, classification, and mapping of STRPs. Leveraging manually curated entries from RepeatsDB as the known conformational space of STRPs, STRPsearch uses the latest advances in structural alignment for a fast and accurate detection of repeated structural motifs in proteins, followed by an innovative approach to map units and insertions through the generation of TM-score profiles. STRPsearch is highly scalable, efficiently processing large datasets, and can be applied to both experimental structures and predicted models. In addition, it demonstrates superior performance compared to existing tools, offering researchers a reliable and comprehensive solution for STRP analysis across diverse proteomes.},
note = {Cited by: 0; Open Access},
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