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SUMMARY:De novo design of selective\, functional channels
DTSTART:20250829T110000
DTEND:20250829T120000
DTSTAMP:20260506T053823Z
UID:ecd78aeb7c5ad49f94f3295c1bd6c5dfafc82569fa7d3f419d095234
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Bio for Huong T. Kratochvil\n\nHuong Kratochvil got her B.S. i
 n Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2016\, under the su
 pervision of Prof. Martin T. Zanni\, she got her PhD in Physical Chemistry
  from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her graduate research focused o
 n applying ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy to address complex biophysic
 al questions concerning mechanisms of ion conduction in potassium ion chan
 nels. She continued her research on ion channel biophysics in the lab of P
 rof. William F. DeGrado at the University of California-San Francisco. Her
 e\, she is studying the fundamental roles of hydrophobic gaskets and water
  networks in proton channel function through the design of novel proton ch
 annels from scratch. Her work in her postdoc on proton channels has led to
  several fellowships including the NIH F32 and the K99 awards. In her curr
 ent position as an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of N
 orth Carolina at Chapel Hill\, her group uses de novo protein design to di
 ssect sequence-structure-dynamics-function relationships in complex membra
 ne proteins\, specifically focusing on questions of selectivity. Her group
  is excited to fundamental mechanisms of membrane protein function and tra
 nslate these insights into new-to-nature protein-based tools and therapeut
 ics.\nChannels and transporters facilitate the precise movement of ions an
 d water across cellular membranes\, driving many of life's most critical p
 rocesses. Achieving function requires the translocation of defined numbers
  of ions or molecules: transport must therefore be highly selective and ef
 ficient. Selectivity\, or the ability to allow permeation of specific ions
  and molecules over others\, is a hallmark of channels and transporters. H
 owever\, the precise molecular mechanisms that govern selectivity\, partic
 ularly for protons\, water\, and ions\, remain poorly understood. Uncoveri
 ng the molecular determinants of selectivity is essential to our fundament
 al understanding of channel and transporter function and can inform the de
 velopment of novel biomimetic membranes and transformative technologies th
 at require precise control of ion and molecule transport. Here\, we descri
 be how we use de novo protein design methodologies to dissect contribution
 s of pore geometry and pore chemistry to engineer novel channels with sele
 ctivity for different ions and water. Using a combination of computational
  and experimental biophysical techniques\, including molecular dynamics (M
 D) simulations to electrophysiology\, we are able to link protein and wate
 r dynamics to the function of these channels to better define the molecula
 r determinants of selectivity. Despite the challenging nature of this work
 \, we have designed functional proton channels and are actively engineerin
 g new channels with tailored selectivity for specific ions and water. This
  work advances our ability to design selective channels from first princip
 les\, providing insights into the fundamental mechanisms of ion and water 
 transport.\n 
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717 https://epfl.zoom.u
 s/j/69911861036
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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