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Add to Calendar 2025-05-09 16:00:00 2025-05-09 17:00:00 GuestSeminars@UCIBIO | Alena Khmelinskaia From Nature to the drawing board: design of dynamic protein assemblies Alena Khmelinskaia, LMU Universität, München   ZOOM link: https://ucibio.pt/l/GuestSeminars   Chair: Cecília Roque, UCIBIO-NOVA   Abstract:  Recent computational methods have been developed for designing novel protein assemblies with atomic-level accuracy. Yet, when compared to their natural counterparts, the structural and functional space covered by de novo designed assemblies remains limited. I will share with you our ongoing virus-inspired efforts in diversifying the structural repertoire of protein assemblies and developing strategies to dynamically control protein assembly state. First, I will describe our approaches to the design of complex polyhedral geometries, from interlocked architectures assembled from rigid building blocks to the introduction of structural flexibility and the use of quasi-equivalence principles. Then, I will present our recently developed design module for the generation of symmetric or asymmetric oligomers mediated by small molecule-dependent protein-protein interfaces.   Short Bio:   Prof. Dr. Alena Khmelinskaia, is a leading researcher in biophysical chemistry, specializing in protein design, self-assembly, and biohybrid materials. She is currently a professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), where she explores the fundamental principles of protein interactions to design dynamic and adaptive biomaterials. Prof. Khmelinskaia earned her Ph.D. in Physics from Ludwig Maximilian University, conducting research at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. Following her doctoral studies, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, Institute for Protein Design, where she focused on computational approaches to de novo protein design. In 2021, she was appointed as an Argelander Junior Professor at the University of Bonn, where she led research on computational design of protein self-assembly. Her work bridges computational design, biophysics, and nanotechnology, with applications ranging from synthetic biology to medical therapeutics. She has authored numerous high-impact publications and has been recognized for her contributions to protein-based biohybrid materials. Grande auditório - NOVA FCT UCIBIO info@simbiose.com Europe/Lisbon public
GuestSeminars@UCIBIO | Alena Khmelinskaia

From Nature to the drawing board: design of dynamic protein assemblies
Alena Khmelinskaia, LMU Universität, München

 

ZOOM link: https://ucibio.pt/l/GuestSeminars

 

Chair: Cecília Roque, UCIBIO-NOVA
 

Abstract: 

Recent computational methods have been developed for designing novel protein assemblies with atomic-level accuracy. Yet, when compared to their natural counterparts, the structural and functional space covered by de novo designed assemblies remains limited. I will share with you our ongoing virus-inspired efforts in diversifying the structural repertoire of protein assemblies and developing strategies to dynamically control protein assembly state. First, I will describe our approaches to the design of complex polyhedral geometries, from interlocked architectures assembled from rigid building blocks to the introduction of structural flexibility and the use of quasi-equivalence principles. Then, I will present our recently developed design module for the generation of symmetric or asymmetric oligomers mediated by small molecule-dependent protein-protein interfaces.

 

Short Bio:

 

Prof. Dr. Alena Khmelinskaia, is a leading researcher in biophysical chemistry, specializing in protein design, self-assembly, and biohybrid materials. She is currently a professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), where she explores the fundamental principles of protein interactions to design dynamic and adaptive biomaterials.

Prof. Khmelinskaia earned her Ph.D. in Physics from Ludwig Maximilian University, conducting research at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. Following her doctoral studies, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, Institute for Protein Design, where she focused on computational approaches to de novo protein design. In 2021, she was appointed as an Argelander Junior Professor at the University of Bonn, where she led research on computational design of protein self-assembly.

Her work bridges computational design, biophysics, and nanotechnology, with applications ranging from synthetic biology to medical therapeutics. She has authored numerous high-impact publications and has been recognized for her contributions to protein-based biohybrid materials.

GuestSeminars@UCIBIO | Alena Khmelinskaia