Networks & Interactions
Biological systems consist of vast numbers of components connected by physical interactions between components and interactions with the environment. At Notre Dame, researchers study both individual components and their interactions in order to understand in a predictive way the fundamental principles that govern biological processes. Examples include: What interactions are important to ensure proper protein folding and enzyme function? What interactions cause some proteins to be prone to misfolding, leading to diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer’s, and juvenile cataracts? How does the microtubule cytoskeleton, a dynamic network of protein fibers that directs chromosome segregation during mitosis, assemble and disassemble as needed? How do proteins recognize foreign and cancerous cells, and how does this recognition lead to cellular communication such as T cell function in the immune system? How do interactions between host cells and metastasizing cancer cells determine tumor growth? How does the lipid composition of specific membranes lead to recruitment of specific proteins, facilitating viral infection? How does development work on a molecular level? Analyzing these interactions at all levels, from individual molecules to larger networks, is improving our understanding of how biological systems are organized and controlled, including our ability to predict the effects of genetic mutations.
Affiliated Researchers
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Patricia Champion
Professor of Biological Sciences
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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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Saurja DasGupta
Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
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Shaun Lee
Monahan Family Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
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Jun Li
Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics
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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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Santiago Schnell
Dean of the College of Science; Professor of Biological Sciences; Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics
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Sharon Stack
Kleiderer-Pezold Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry; Director, Harper Cancer Research Institute
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Zoltan Toroczkai
Professor of Physics; Concurrent Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
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Dervis Can Vural
Associate Professor of Physics
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Katharine White
Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry