In the Biophysics and Protein Dynamics program, scientists work to understand the physics of life processes at the molecular and cellular level. Understanding the structure, function and mechanism of membrane proteins will lead to the development of novel approaches to diagnosing and treating diseases. The program is pursuing a multidisciplinary approach that includes electrophysiological, biochemical, structural and computational methods to investigate the movement of membrane proteins relevant to health and disease. Francisco Bezanilla’s research focuses on the biophysics of excitation. Steve Goldstein’s research is directed towards understanding how ion channels operate in health and illness. Eduardo Perozo studies the structure and function of ion channels and membrane proteins. Benoit Roux focuses on computational and experimental approaches to understand membrane protein mechanisms and leads the biocomputational studies at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratories.
These researchers reveal at angstrom resolution how ion channels, transporters and receptors operate in health and disease, and how they are altered by mutations or drug therapy. The information arising from their work will be of significance in the future as we seek to determine in the laboratory which drugs are most likely to be effective in individual patients, based upon their genetic make-up. Their combined expertise is a prime example of how scientists in fields such as biochemistry, biophysics and computational biology can benefit from working together on a common experimental theme.
