Project Description
My lab is composed two postdoctoral research associates and six graduate students working on developing optical instrumentation and software and applying it to studies of membrane receptor interactions with one another as well as with cognate ligands in living cells. We probe the amount of energy exchanged between an optically excited molecule and an unexcited fluorescent molecule to determine the distance between such molecules, which are attached to proteins of interest and used a sensors of proximity between proteins. We have written software that allows for rapid quantitation of such interactions that allows us to determine how protein complexes respond to changes in concentration as well as to addition of natural and artificial ligands, or drugs.
Tasks and Responsibilites
As a preparation for this work, students will study published work from my lab, and will use algorithms for data analysis using a computer. Students could choose to participate in biological sample preparation using proteins expressed in living cells (either in purified form or in their cellular milieu), imaging of fluorescent samples, or analysis of fluorescence images.
Desired Qualifications
None listed.