Gordon Tollin
Degrees and Appointments:
- Ph.D. 1956, Iowa State University
Specialities: Bioanalytical, Bioinorganic, Biophysics, Protein and Membrane Biochemistry, Spectroscopy/Molecular Structure
Research Description
The transduction of information across biological membranes is one of the key processes in living systems. In many cases, such signals are transmitted via a class of integral membrane proteins known as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). These are ubiquitous in eukaryotes and constitute one of the primary targets for pharmaceuticals. We have developed a new spectroscopic tool, called plasmon-waveguide resonance, that allows one to monitor conformational changes in real time in a single lipid bilayer occurring as a consequence of the functional activity of membrane proteins, without the use of labels of any kind.