Cell membranes, composed of a lipid bilayer and membrane proteins, play a pivotal role in compartmentalizing various functional moieties. The intricate crosstalk between these moieties is orchestrated by the membrane proteins, dictating crucial events such as cell trafficking, activation and death. Understanding the biophysical principles governing membrane protein assembly is fundamental in decoding the language of inter- or intra-cellular communication.
In our lab, we utilize this understanding to engineer biomaterial interfaces with precision, aiming to effectively modulate material’s biological function and drive groundbreaking advancements in medicine and biotechnology.
The three main directions are as follows:
- Orchestrating membrane protein assembly on cell membrane-interfaced nanomaterials.
- Machine learning-guided discovery of membrane-active peptide sequence.
- Fundamental research in biophysics in soft-condensed matter, including protein-lipid and protein-nucleic acid condensates.
We are a part of the Biomedical Engineering program at School of Engineering of Westlake University. We are affiliated with the School of Life Sciences.