About the Lab
We seek to uncover the fundamental principles of life at the molecular scale and translate those insights into new therapeutic strategies. Our work centers on membrane proteins—receptors and ion channels—that convert chemical and mechanical cues into cellular signals. By combining state-of-the-art structural biology with rigorous biochemistry, we decode protein–protein interactions and the logic of signal transduction.

Research Themes

1.       Sensory Biology and Mechanobiology
We investigate how cells sense and integrate external stimuli, from ligands to physical forces. We quantify how membrane tension, curvature, and lipid composition reshape receptor activation and channel gating, revealing how chemical and mechanical signals converge at the membrane.

2.       Host–Pathogen Biology
We study how bacterial and viral effectors hijack membrane-protein networks at the cell surface. By resolving structures of pathogen–host interfaces—especially receptors and ion channels—we identify actionable mechanisms for anti-infective interventions.

3.       Tool-Building for Membrane Proteins
We develop and standardize biochemical toolkits to accelerate membrane-protein research: native-source purification, nanodisc and proteoliposome reconstitution, lipid remodeling assays, and high-sensitivity functional readouts. These tools enable precise, reproducible studies of complex membrane systems.

4.       Membrane-Protein-Based Synthetic Biology
We engineer receptors and channels as modular parts to build minimal signaling circuits. These programmable systems allow us to rewire cellular responses for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Approach

Guided by the principle that “seeing is believing,” our core mission is to determine high-resolution structures and connect them to function. We integrate single-particle cryo-EM with cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to bridge molecules and cells, and we pair structural work with electrophysiology, quantitative biochemistry, and advanced imaging. AI-based protein modeling and integrative analysis help map conformational landscapes and interaction networks. These insights directly feed into structure-based drug design and discovery.

Vision

Our long-term goal is to formalize general rules of membrane-protein signaling across chemical and mechanical inputs, pinpoint disease-relevant structural features, and convert mechanistic understanding into therapeutic strategies. By uniting mechanobiology, host–pathogen interfaces, and synthetic rewiring of signaling, we aim to define common architectures that govern cellular information flow.

Join Us

We welcome motivated students and researchers who are excited to ask molecular-level questions and to build new methods along the way. In our group, you will gain training in cryo-EM and cryo-ET, membrane-protein biochemistry and electrophysiology, AI-guided modeling, and synthetic-circuit design—then apply them to impactful problems in biology and medicine.