Collaborative Research: Mapping and comparing the link of the protein scaffold to quantum events in thermally activated enzymes and flavin-based photoreceptors

There is an increasing recognition for the role of non-classical (quantum) behavior in biological reactions, such as magnetoreception in season bird migration and hydrogen tunneling in enzyme reactions. This proposal aims to address how classical properties of macromolecules, such as proteins, are able to enable, sustain, and enhance these quantum effects at the warm temperatures of biology. To address this, a team of four diverse researchers (2 established, 2 junior faculty) will integrate a synergist approach entailing time-resolved structural biology and spectroscopic techniques coupled with theory. The team is also embedding aspects of the research into the undergraduate curriculum involving an interdisciplinary, cross-institutional sequence of course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) labs.

Scholars @ ECU