Seeing membrane proteins inside cell-like membranes with advanced magnetic resonance
EPR Spectroscopic Studies of Membrane Proteins
Using advanced pulsed EPR methods to reveal the shapes and motions of proteins in cell membranes that matter for heart disease and cancer patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Miami University Oxford NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oxford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11260155 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This lab uses pulsed EPR spectroscopy (including DEER and ESEEM) together with membrane-friendly polymers to look at membrane proteins in lipid bilayers rather than detergents. The team refines how samples are prepared so measurements of long-range distances and dynamics are more accurate. Collaborations with other groups focus these methods on proteins tied to heart disease, cancer, and viral biology. The work is laboratory-based with purified proteins and advanced instrumentation rather than a clinical treatment program.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Although not a clinical trial, people with heart conditions or cancers linked to membrane-protein malfunction could be future beneficiaries and might qualify for downstream translational studies.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate treatment or those with conditions unrelated to membrane-protein dysfunction are unlikely to get direct benefit from this basic lab research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could produce clearer structural models of disease-related membrane proteins that help guide new drug development for cardiac and cancer conditions.
How similar studies have performed: Pulsed EPR and DEER have been used successfully to map distances in some membrane proteins, but applying these techniques in native-like lipid bilayers for difficult proteins is still technically challenging and partly novel.
Where this research is happening
Oxford, United States
- Miami University Oxford — Oxford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lorigan, Gary a — Miami University Oxford
- Study coordinator: Lorigan, Gary a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.