
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.
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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!
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