Dynamics & Reactions
Biophysical systems are constantly undergoing change. Researchers at Notre Dame study these changes, resulting from either internal processes or external stimuli, to attack problems such as antibiotic resistance, stroke, or treatment of cancer. Researchers study the fibrinolytic pathway of hemostasis, specifically the plasminogen ligand binding mutants, to characterize the details of ligand/protein binding. Using transient optical spectroscopy, time-resolved resonance Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance, conductivity, and ambient pressure XPS, researchers can measure changes in aqueous solutions of biomolecules due to electron beam pulsing. Other groups study the role of dynamics in allosteric signaling, flexibility-activity relationship, and the evolution of protein function. Researchers have introduced low-energy, atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) radiation to complement existing radiation treatment for cancer in order to access an alternative pathway to cancer cell death. They also use dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to more clearly elucidate the efforts of ionizing radiation on amino acids, peptides, and protein structures. Building the experiements that will lead to a better understanding of how complex, dynamic, biophysical systems operate will lead to new discoveries on how to control these systems.
Affiliated Researchers
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Ian Carmichael
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry; Director, Notre Dame Radiation Laboratory
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Francis Castellino
Kleiderer-Pezold Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry; Director, W.M. Keck Center for Transgene Research; Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine
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Patricia Clark
Rev. John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry; Associate Vice President for Research; Concurrent Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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Holly Goodson
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry; Concurrent Professor of Biological Sciences
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Brittany Morgan
John V. O'Connor Assistant Professor in Cancer Drug Discovery
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Jeffrey Peng
Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry; Concurrent Associate Professor of Physics
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Arnaldo Serrano
Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
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Dervis Can Vural
Associate Professor of Physics
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Olaf Wiest
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry