Investigation of native lipid-nanodisc environments for ligand binding and G-protein recruitment at Family B G-protein-coupled receptors
Family B1 G‑protein‑coupled receptors (GPCRs), including the calcitonin gene‑related peptide receptor and parathyroid hormone 1 receptor, play pivotal roles in human physiology, mediating cardiovascular, skeletal, and neuroendocrine regulation. Their signalling‑competent conformations rely on native lipid interactions, which are often disrupted when receptors are extracted from the natural cell membrane environment. SMA‑based copolymers offer a detergent‑free approach to membrane solubilisation, and this work investigates how polymer chemistry affects the preservation of active‑state pharmacology in Family B1 GPCRs, comparing SMA 2000, DIBMA‑12, and the electroneutral sulfo‑DIBMA.
I am an Assistant Professor at Coventry University, UK. My group investigates how GPCRs work at a molecular level, with emphasis on Family A and B receptors. We combine molecular pharmacology, biochemical approaches, and copolymer nanodiscs to dissect ligand binding, receptor activation, and macromolecular interactions.
Moitrayee Bhattacharyya received her Ph.D. in Computational Biophysics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, where she used molecular dynamics simulations and network theory to study allosteric communication. She transitioned into experimental biology during her postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley as Human Frontiers Science Program Long Term Fellow. Here, she used structural biology and single-molecule microscopy to study the molecular mechanism of regulation in a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase that is critical for learning and memory. She started her lab at Yale University in the summer of 2020 and is currently an Associate Professor of Pharmacology. One focus is to develop broad-impact technological platforms that enable high-resolution studies of membrane proteins in native membranes, in her lab and beyond. Her lab also applies these technologies in conjunction with established biophysical and structural methods to understand the molecular mechanisms of membrane-localized signaling in chronic pain and neurodegenerative diseases.
Barry D. Bruce is Professor of Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with joint appointments in Microbiology and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. His research centers on the structure, function, and assembly of bioenergetic membrane protein complexes, with particular emphasis on photosynthetic systems in their native lipid environments and on membrane protein biophysics. His laboratory has been at the forefront of developing and applying detergent-free approaches for membrane protein isolation, including SMALPs and related native membrane nanoparticle systems, and has contributed to the synthesis and functional application of novel copolymers for extracting and stabilizing membrane protein complexes directly from native membranes. A major focus of his work is the isolation and characterization of Photosystem I (PSI) in near-native states, providing new insights into lipid-protein interactions, cofactor organization, and membrane-dependent photosynthetic function. He was the founding organizer of the 1st Conference on Native Membrane Nanoparticles in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is one of the SMALP Network Co-Directors. Dr. Bruce has authored over 120 peer-reviewed publications, holds three U.S. patents, is an AAAS Fellow, and is the Founder and President of the North American Photosynthesis Conference Association (NAPCA). His current work bridges membrane biochemistry, protein biophysics, polymer chemistry, and structural biology to advance native membrane nanoparticles as a transformative platform for studying complex biological systems.
Sandro Keller is Full Professor of Biophysics and Head of the Biophysics Division at the University of Graz, Austria. His research integrates biophysics, physical chemistry, and molecular biology to study membrane proteins and develop innovative membrane mimetics. His group is pioneering native nanodiscs for extracting membrane proteins in their lipid-bilayer environments, fluorescence-based microfluidic methods to quantify protein–protein interactions, and computational approaches to predicting protein allostery.
After receiving his Ph.D. from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, he led an independent research group at the Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology in Berlin before joining the University of Kaiserslautern, where he also served as Dean of the Faculty of Biology. His awards include the Stig Sunner Memorial Award from CALCON and the Breast Cancer Research Award from the Austrian Cancer Aid.
Brian (BL) received his B.S. degree in chemistry 2003 from the University of North Georgia. He then obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin working under Prof. C. Grant Willson and was co-advised by Prof. Christopher W. Bielawski. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2009, BL pursued his postdoctoral studies at Cornell University under the supervision of Prof. Geoffrey W. Coates. He began his independent career at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville (UTK) in 2011 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2018, and then to Professor in 2023. His research and teaching efforts have been recognized through the Ffrancon Williams Endowed Faculty Award, an Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, a Department of Energy Early Career Research Program Award, and he was named the Gleb Mamantov Professor of Chemistry in 2020. BL also became the Associate Head for Graduate Programs in 2025.
Alice’s research interests lie in elucidating the mechanistic functional details of membrane proteins, and the interactions between membrane proteins and their lipid environment. In recent years she has played a major role in developing the polymer lipid particle approach for membrane protein extraction, purification, structural and functional characterization.
Alice obtained her DPhil from the University of Oxford in 2004, then undertook postdoctoral research at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario and the University of Warwick, before starting her independent research group at Aston University in 2010. She is a founding member of the newly established Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME).
DNA nanotechnology based tools and materials for applications in biophysics, structural and molecular biology; Mechanics of tightly bent DNA
