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

Voltage-gated ion channels, present in the membrane of excitable cells, control the ionic concentrations of the cellular environment by maintaining a potential difference of -100 mV between inside and outside of the cell membrane. Voltage-sensing occurs through distinct protein modules, known as voltage-sensor domains, four of which surround the main conduction pathway in potassium channels. Mutation of a certain amino acid on the voltage sensor domain turns these protein modules into cation channels, known as omega pores, which allow conduction of ions only when the main pathway is closed. Omega pores closely resemble the long-sought voltage-gated proton channels, which were recently identified to follow the same voltage-sensing mechanism as voltage-gated cation channels. In a recent report, researchers have visualized the twisted permeation pathway of the ions through omega pores using the molecular dynamics program NAMD. The simulations revealed a narrow constriction region lined by negatively charged amino acids, acting as a selectivity filter that prefers passage of positively charged ions through the pore. For more detail, see our potassium channel 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