Welcome!

We are a diverse group of scientists developing and applying quantitative, biophysical approaches to infectious diseases research. We are located within the Department of Microbiology at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. We are devoted to the study of a variety of viral pathogens, with the goal of making mechanistic discoveries that would not be possible by conventional means. Scientists of all backgrounds are welcome to get in touch.

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Research Focus

Toward a dynamics-based description of viral envelope glycoprotein function

We aim to visualize the dynamics of viral envelope glycoproteins during receptor engagement and membrane fusion using state-of-the-art biophysical techniques.

Viral immune evasion by conformational masking

How do viral envelope glycoproteins conceal functional centers from attack by antibodies while maintaining responsiveness to cellular cues that trigger membrane fusion?

RNA dynamics during regulation of virus replication

We develop biophysical tools to understand the viral and cellular factors that shape RNA structure and conformation during regulation of virus replication.

Technologies

Single-molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (smFRET)

We develop and apply smFRET imaging approaches to visualize the dynamics of viral glycoproteins and RNAs in reduced and highly controlled environments, as well in the context of intact virions.

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS)

We use FCS to monitor the interactions of viral envelope glycoproteins and RNAs to ligands and model membranes.

Single-particle membrane fusion

To provide a functional counterpart to our investigation of conformational dynamics, we use single-particle fusion assays to monitor viral fusion to model membranes.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation

We use atomistic and coarse-grained MD simulation to aid in the interpretation of our experimental data and form hypotheses about the specific residues and interactions that mediate the observed dynamics.