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The University of Southampton
Biological Sciences

NMR studies on heterogeneous biomolecules Seminar

Time:
13:00 - 14:00
Date:
18 February 2014
Venue:
Building 85 Room 2207

For more information regarding this seminar, please telephone Kim Lipscombe on 02380 597747 or email K.R.Lipscombe@soton.ac.uk .

Event details

Prof. dr. Marc Baldus (Ph.D., ETH Zurich) is full Professor of Structural Biology and currently heads the NMR section at Utrecht University. He coordinates the national uNMR-NL consortium that received funding in the NWO National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities. The Baldus group develops and applies NMR methods to establish structure-function relationships in complex biomolecular systems including Membrane and Amyloid proteins. In addition, the structure and dynamics of biomaterials including hydrogels or liposomal drug carriers are being investigated. Supported by NWO VICI, NWO Groot and NWO Middelgroot grants, he has recently developed novel NMR-based approaches to study biomolecular structures in situ and atomic resolution.

  • NMR is a non-invasive method that can provide structural information at the most detailed level in heterogeneous molecular systems. 
  • Our group develops and applies solid-state NMR methods that maximize spectroscopic sensitivity and allows for the analysis of such complex systems. 
  • Combining NMR with biochemical and biophysical approaches we aim at the study molecular structure and function in-situ, ranging from drug carriers to proteins that execute their function when associated with specific cell compartments.

 NMR on heterogeneous molecular systems: From Lipid-anchored Alzheimer vaccines to megadalton proteins in cells.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) can provide atomic-level insight into the structure and dynamics of heterogeneous systems. Our group develops NMR-based approaches targeting such molecular arrangements by combining recent advancements in solid-state NMR to enhance spectroscopic sensitivity and resolution with dedicated biochemical and biophysical techniques.
In our contribution, we report on recent progress to use such concepts to study drug delivery systems at atomic level. Moreover, we show how NMR can be used to obtain direct insight into how proteins execute their function in a cellular membrane environment. Finally, we discuss novel NMR approaches to study structure and function of protein complexes that are associated in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and that are implicated in a variety of diseases including antibiotic resistance and cancer.

Speaker information

Dr Marc Baldus, Utrecht University, Netherlands

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