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Polymer Program Title

Peter Burkhard

Associate Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology

Education

Ph.D. University of Basel, Switzerland

Contact Information

Phone: (860) 486-3830
Email: peter.burkhard@uconn.edu
Website: http://www.ims.uconn.edu/~pburkhard/

Research Interests

Our lab is working on the structure-based rational design of small proteins that are able to self-assemble into nanoparticles with icosahedral symmetry. We are investigating the biophysical properties and the medical applications of such nanoparticles. Functionalized nanoparticles are being designed for as drug targeting and delivery systems. Synthetic vaccines are being developed by using these nanoparticles as repetitive antigen display systems.

Select Publications

  1. Raman, S.K., Machaidze, G., Lustig, A., Aebi, U. and Burkhard, P. (2006). Structure-based design of peptides that self-assemble into regular polyhedral nanoparticles. Nanomedicine, 2, 95-102
  2. Stetefeld, J., Jenny, M., and Burkhard, P. (2006). Intersubunit signaling in glutamate-1-semialdehyde-aminomutase. PNAS, 103 (37), 13688-13693
  3. Strelkov, S., Herrmann, H., Geisler, N., Zimbelmann, R., Aebi, U. and Burkhard, P. (2002). Conserved segments 1A and 2B of the intermediate filament dimer: their atomic structures and role in filament assembly. EMBO J, 21 (6), 1255-1266
  4. Burkhard, P., Ivaninskii, S., Lustig, A. (2002). Improving coiled-coil stability by optimizing ionic interactions. J Mol Biol, 318, (3), 901-910.
  5. Burkhard, P., Dominici, P., Borri-Voltattorni, C., Jansonius, J.N., & Malashkevich, V.N. (2001). Structural insight into Parkinson's disease treatment gained from drug-inhibited DOPA decarboxylase. Nature Struct Biol, 8 (11), 963 - 967.
  6. Meier, M., Janosik, M., Kery, V., Kraus, J. & Burkhard, P. (2001). Structure of human cystathionine b-synthase: A unique pyridoxal 5'-phosphate dependent hemeprotein. EMBO J, 20 (15), 3910-3916.
  7. Burkhard, P., Stetefeld, J. & Strelkov, S. (2001). Coiled coils: a highly versatile protein folding motif. Trends in Cell Biology, 11, 82-88.

Polymer Program: 860.486.3582: polymer@ims.uconn.edu