Mast cells, which participate in the allergic response, are stimulated with a multivalent ligand (or antigen). Green is IgE bound to its high-affinity receptor; red is phosphotyrosine; and blue are actin filaments that result from stimulated polymerization.

Our long-term goal is to understand structure-function relationships of biomembranes, as well as to probe the spatio-temporal molecular dynamics that are crucial for cell signaling.

We tackle these complex biophysical problems with an array of cross-disciplinary tools, ranging from state-of-the-art optical microscopy and microfabrication to model membranes and lipid biochemistry to cell and molecular biology.

The analytical and physical tools we are developing will not only provide molecular-level understanding of lipid nanostructures in membranes but also will find materials and optics applications.

NEWS:

January 2009:  Kanika Vats defends her PhD.  Great job!

December 2008: Angel Davey defends her PhD.  Great job!