Protein Folding and Aggregation in the Cell; Lasers, Magnets and Electron Beams

Cavagnero Group Diversity and Inclusion Statement

The Cavagnero group operates on the belief that diversity is the source of our strength. We are committed to recruiting, retaining and supporting underrepresented students from diverse backgrounds. The ability for our lab to solve problems and better our research efforts is enhanced by creating an environment where students feel safe and valued for sharing their unique experiences. We believe that diversity and inclusion make us better scientists, colleagues, and people. More information about these efforts can be found on the "Our Committment to Diversity and Inclusion" tab. 

 

Welcome to the world of protein folding/aggregation in the cell and high resolution molecular spectroscopy!

The Cavagnero lab is interested in understanding how proteins achieve their 3-dimensional shape within the cellular context, in the presence of the ribosome and molecular chaperones.  We use a variety of chemical-biology and spectroscopic techniques including time resolved fluorescence depolarization, single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy/microscopy, and multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance.  Understanding the principles governing protein folding in the cell will provide key insights into the fundamental nature of life and evolution.  In addition, our work will feed key knowledge to more effectively predict protein structure from amino acid sequence and to devise better approaches to cure deadly misfolding-base diseases.  In order to foster our efforts to unveil the microscopic structure and dynamics of biomolecules, our group is developing novel approaches employing lasers and magnets to increase the sensitivity of NMR spectroscopy by photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization and other hyperpolarization techniques.