Chemistry, Biology and the Interface

by Dr. Jeet Kalia (National Institutes of Health, USA)

Monday, January 16, 2012 from 16:00 to 17:00 (Asia/Kolkata)
at Colaba Campus ( AG-69 )

TIFR, Colaba Mumbai

Description

I have a uniquely diverse research background that has drawn from a wide range of fields including synthetic organic chemistry, physical organic chemistry, protein modification, surface chemistry, molecular biology, membrane protein biology, and electrophysiology. My Ph.D. research work focused on organic chemistry and chemical biology, whereas my postdoctoral research work is on ion channel physiology and biophysics. In my talk, I will first focus on my chemistry-centric Ph.D. work on “Bioconjugation”, a term that refers to the covalent derivatization of proteins, DNA, RNA, and carbohydrates for applications such as ligand discovery, disease diagnosis, high‑throughput screening, and biochemical assays for studying biological processes. I will outline my work on the characterization of the hydrolytic stability of some of the commonly used bioconjugation linkages that inform on their proper use in addition to providing fascinating mechanistic insights. Additionally, I will discuss my work that resulted in the development of novel methods for rapid and stable protein bioconjugation. The second half of my talk will focus on my biology-centric postdoctoral work on ion channel biology involving electrophysiology and molecular biology. In particular, I will discuss my work that resulted in the elucidation of the mechanism by which the simple molecule, guanidine, inhibits voltage‑gated potassium channels. The mechanistic insights obtained from this study provide a foundation for the design of guanidine analogs for treating neuromuscular diseases. Towards the end of the talk, I will briefly outline the goals of my future research plans that lie at the interface of chemistry and biology and seek to synergistically combine my Ph.D. and postdoctoral training.