NAMD, recipient of a 2002 Gordon Bell Award and a 2012 Sidney Fernbach Award, is a parallel molecular dynamics code designed for high-performance simulation of large biomolecular systems. Based on Charm++ parallel objects, NAMD scales to hundreds of cores for typical simulations and beyond 500,000 cores for the largest simulations. NAMD uses the popular molecular graphics program VMD for simulation setup and trajectory analysis, but is also file-compatible with AMBER, CHARMM, and X-PLOR. NAMD is distributed free of charge with source code. You can build NAMD yourself or download binaries for a wide variety of platforms. Our tutorials show you how to use NAMD and VMD for biomolecular modeling.

Other Spotlights 

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made with VMD

Neurons in the brain form a closely knit communication network with other neurons. Each neuron sends messages through up to thousands of cell-cell communication channels, so-called synapses. To avoid communication chaos, the messages of each neuron are chemically encoded as if neurons speak English to some neurons and French to others. The neurons employ an extremely efficient encoding system, packaging chemical message molecules, so-called neurotransmitters, in spherical vesicles encapsulated by a lipid membrane just like the whole neuron is encapsulated by a membrane. The vesicles aggregate near the presynaptic site of the membrane, ready to release their neurotransmitters into the space between neurons at the synapse, the so-called synaptic cleft. When a sender neuron becomes electrically active, as it wants to "speak", the electrical activity releases Calcium ions at the pre-synaptic cell that trigger merging (fusion) of vesicles with the sender neuron's membrane. At this point the neurotransmitter molecules flow into the synaptic cleft. The receiver neuron "hears" the signal by receiving the neurotransmitter molecules on receptors in the postsynaptic membrane, inducing as a result an electrical signal in the receiver neuron. The release involves a group of proteins that make vesicles ready for the release and proteins that execute the Calcium-triggered step, among the latter synaptotagmin I. As reported recently, researchers have proposed with the help of computer simulations using NAMD how synaptotagmin I acts. The simulations suggest that the experimentally observed structure of synaptotagmin I measured in vitro in a crystal/NMR form of the protein differs from the active, in situ form of synaptotagmin I. The finding, if true, will be a dramatic example for the role of computing in biology where the computer often complements observation studying, as in the present case, biomolecules in situ, namely their natural environment, rather than in vitro, namely in an artificial environment. Please read more on our neuron transmission website.

Overview

Why NAMD? (in pictures)
How to Cite NAMD
Features and Capabilities
Performance Benchmarks
Publications and Citations
Credits and Development Team

Availability

Read the License
Download NAMD Binaries (also VMD)
Build from Source Code - Git access now available
Run at NCSA, SDSC, NICS, or Texas

Training

Enhanced Sampling and Free-Energy Workshop (Sept 10-14, 2018)
NAMD Developer Workshop in Urbana (June 11-12, 2018)
"Hands-On" Workshop in Pittsburgh (May 21-25, 2018)
"Hands-On" QM/MM Simulation Workshop (April 5-7, 2018)
Enhanced Sampling and Free-Energy Workshop (Sept 25-29, 2017)
"Hands-On" Workshop in Pittsburgh (May 30-June 2, 2017)
NAMD Developer Workshop in Chicago (May 22-23, 2017)
"Hands-On" Workshop in Urbana (April 17-21, 2017)
PRACE School on HPC for Life Sciences (April 10-13, 2017)
Older "Hands-On" Workshops

Support

Announcements

Documentation

Related Codes, Scripts, and Examples
NAMD Wiki (Recent Changes)
Older Documentation

News

Supercomputing HIV-1 Replication
How GPUs help in the fight against staph infections
Computational Microscope Gets Subatomic Resolution
Opening New Frontiers in the Battle Against HIV/AIDS
HIV Capsid Interacting with Environment
Assembling Life's Molecular Motor
Older News Items