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MSE Seminar Series: Amit Vaish
Friday, April 5, 2013
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Room 2110 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Bldg.
For More Information:
JoAnne Kagle
jkagle@umd.edu
Design and Fabrication of Membrane-Protein-Immobilized-Interfaces for Structural and Functional Characterization of Membrane Proteins Using Neutron Scattering Technique
Amit Vaish
Neutron Condensed Matter Science
Center for Neutron Research
NIST
Membrane proteins are involved in the signal transduction of a wide range of physiological processes from neuronal signaling to immune and hormonal response. Despite being such an important pharmaceutical target, structural characterization of membrane proteins, in particular G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), has been challenging by X-ray crystallography due to the difficulty associated with crystallization of these proteins with surrounding lipids. A detailed structural understanding of the membrane proteins is required for rational design of therapeutics tailored towards finding cures for the diseases caused by the malfunctions of these proteins. We are developing materials and methods to determine the structure-function relationship of membrane proteins using surface-sensitive techniques. We have fabricated biomimetic interfaces containing membrane proteins as a model system to study lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions. Our approach is based on self-assembly of “chemical hook”-terminated molecules to selectively capture high density membrane proteins on the surface. Additionally, we developed a novel platinum nanotube membrane platform to provide high-surface area and fluidic lipid environment for surface-immobilized proteins for high-resolution structural information.
About the Speaker
Dr. Amit Vaish is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. He received his Ph.D. in 2011 under the mentorship of Prof. Paul Weiss in Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. His research interests encompass biomimetic surfaces, biosensors, and nanotechnology.
This Event is For: Graduate • Faculty • Post-Docs
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