Self-assembly of biomolecules
Soft materials and biomolecular systems are often self-assembled from small components (molecules, particles) through weak interactions such as electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds etc. Structure formation through self-assembly is at the heart of many of the unique physical properties of soft materials and is a crucial topic in both teaching and research at PCC. We explore biomolecular self-assembly over a diverse range of topics: protein misfolding, condensation and amyloid formation, by leveraging the development of nanoscale microscopy and spectroscopy; primarily using on-chip microfluidic technology and microscopy/spectroscopy techniques on biomolecular condensates and their interplay with membranes, in the context of synthetic as well as natural biological systems; and designing soft materials made out of both natural and de-novo sequence designed biopolymers.
