Seminars

PRESENTER INFORMATION

ABSTRACT

Cellular membranes are dynamic interfaces that regulate cellular communication, trafficking, and uptake. Understanding how proteins sense and remodel these interfaces is central to explaining cell function and to designing new delivery strategies. My research group combines engineering principles with fluorescence-based approaches to uncover the physical mechanisms that govern protein–membrane interactions.

In this seminar, I will highlight our work on diverse protein–membrane systems. We examine how the intrinsically disordered protein α-synuclein, implicated in Parkinson’s disease, alters its binding behavior through post-translational modifications and drives membrane remodeling. We also investigate how clathrin, in concert with adaptor proteins, assembles on membranes to promote remodeling and endocytic fission. In parallel, we characterize cell-penetrating peptides that display a striking ability to undergo one-way transport across membranes, leading to accumulation in vesicles and cells. Finally, we explore engineering strategies that couple membrane-active peptides to therapeutic payloads to enhance cellular uptake. Together, these projects reveal fundamental principles of how proteins shape and sense biological membranes, with implications for cellular regulation and the design of delivery systems.