Probing protein aggregation with small molecules

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Research summary: Proteins are important biomolecules that play a significant role in normal body function. Among the many and diverse proteins in mammals, some proteins lack proper structures and tend to undergo misfolding to form protein aggregates or clumps. These partially disordered protein aggregates can be toxic to cells. The mechanisms involved in the formation of protein aggregates, is not clearly understood. My proposal, aims to answer these questions by developing novel molecules as cutting-edge tools to study the mechanisms of protein aggregation. Molecular libraries will be prepared and biochemical studies will be carried out to monitor protein aggregation by using a number of techniques which will assist in elucidating the critical regions involved in protein aggregation at the molecular level. Furthermore, these investigations will be supported by computational modeling to determine the nature of protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions. We anticipate that these studies will advance our current knowledge by elucidating the mechanisms of protein aggregation pathway that has broad applications in science and technology. ******Student training: Our proposed research program will train several graduate and undergraduate students over the next five years. Students will be trained in a number of research techniques which will provide the necessary skill sets to succeed in academic or industrial settings as future scientists and contribute to the growth of scientific and economic landscape of Canada.**