Research Interests

Biological systems are able to survive in various conditions that cause disrupting of cell membranes and unfold (denature) proteins. Natural molecular repair strategies, including use of stress proteins, permit adaptation to these conditions. My research focuses on development of synthetic chaperones for purpose of repairing cells after injury. In particular, the focus is on use of multiblock copolymer surfactants for sealing of damaged cell membranes and use of copolymers to disaggregate and refold denatured proteins. We are developing these polymers to mimic behavior of natural stress proteins and membrane sealing mechanisms. Models used in the lab included in-vivo muscle electroporation injury as well as isolated muscle cells to study membrane transport. We are now using AFM and laser-tweezers to determine if changes in membrane tension preceed surfactant induced sealing.

We have long standing interest in understanding the transductive mechaniochemical coupling mechanisms which permit connective tissue cells to sense mechanical stress and respond in a way that permits adaptation. To investigate this we developed tissue engineered ligaments and tendons for determining the cellular signaling processes involved in mechanical stress on tissue remodeling.

Selected Publications

Collins, JM., Despa, F., and Lee, RC. “ Structural and Functional Recovery of Electropermeabilized Skeletal Muscle in-vivo following treatment with Poloxamer 188 “Biochimica et Biophysica Acta-Biomembranes 1768 (5): 1238-1246, May 2007 (PubMed)

Despa, F., Orgill, DP, and Lee, RC . “Molecular Crowding Effects on Protein Stability” Annuals NYAS Vol.1066: 54-66, 2006 (PubMed)

Despa, F, Orgill, DP, Neuwalder, J. and Lee RC “The Relative Thermal Stability of Tissue Macromolecules and Cellular Structure in Burn Injury” Burns 31(5): 568-77, 2005 (PubMed)

Despa, F, Orgill, DP, Neuwalder, J. and Lee RC “Effects of Crowding on the Thermal Stability of Heterogeneous Protein Solutions” Ann. Biomed Engineering 33(8): 1125-1131, 2005 (PubMed)

Bier, M., Gowrishankar, T.R., Chen, W., and Lee, R.C. “Electoporation of a Lipid Bilayer as a Chemical Reaction” Bioelectromagnetics 25: 624-637, 2004 (PubMed)

(back to Faculty by name)

(back to Faculty by research interest)