Much remains unknown about cholesterol. New research reveals how these lipid molecules move in cell membranes, which could have broad implications for future studies.
NMR
SARS-CoV-2 research featured in Grow magazine
As part of the global effort to understand SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID-19), CALS scientists have pivoted their existing research projects, launched entirely new studies, and banded together to share knowledge and resources. Experts in the Department of Biochemistry are the linchpins of many of these efforts.
2021 CALS year in review
At the conclusion of each year, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) takes a moment to look back and reflect on the accomplishments of the college’s community. Among this year’s standouts, a story by Sarah Lynn Traver Saunders about a $40 million award from the NSF to establish a network for advanced NMR …
Scientists pinpoint structure of antifungal, challenge binding mechanism
Nearly seventy years after the discovery of Amphotericin B, scientists are still learning from this enigmatic drug. UW–Madison scientists, in collaboration with scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), applied innovative nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to reveal the structure of Amphotericin B as it’s about to bind …
Unpacking SARS-CoV-2
Less than a year after he joined the Department of Biochemistry, Robert Kirchdoerfer BS’06 and his nascent coronavirus research program were thrust into the spotlight. The new assistant professor was quickly becoming known around the UW–Madison campus as “the coronavirus guy,” a linchpin of efforts at the university to understand the severe acute respiratory syndrome …
NIH R24 grant will support user access to cutting-edge biological NMR at NMRFAM
This year has been an important one for the National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison (NMRFAM). The facility’s co-directors were awarded a NIH grant to pioneer innovative methods for solid-state NMR; then, an NSF award helped establish a multi-institution network for advanced NMR. Now, another award from the NIH will help NMRFAM maintain and excel …
NSF award to establish network for advanced NMR across three institutions
The University of Wisconsin–Madison will join a first-of-its-kind collaborative network for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which researchers use to probe large biological molecules like proteins and RNA. The National Science Foundation announced a $40 million award to establish the Network for Advanced NMR (NAN) linking three institutions: UConn School of Medicine, the University of Georgia …
NMRFAM co-directors awarded P41, pioneer new methods
Professors Katie Henzler-Wildman and Chad Rienstra, co-directors of the National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison (NMRFAM), have been awarded a P41 grant to pioneer new methods for solid-state NMR. The research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and provides $6.5 million over 5 years. The project builds on existing NMR technology to extend its reach to the …
Researchers publish insights into transporter EmrE, utilize new method of imaging
Biochemistry Professor Katie Henzler-Wildman and her team of researchers have published findings on the structure and dynamics of EmrE, utilizing a new method to determine the protein’s structure in greater detail than had been previously available. EmrE is a membrane protein that may provide key insight into antibiotic resistance, a rising public health concern. EmrE …
Rienstra joins department, NMRFAM
Chad Rienstra’s scientific career was jumpstarted by four years of undergraduate research, where he developed a broad interest in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and engineering. It’s this commitment to interdisciplinary research and education that he brings to bear years later as he joins the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Biochemistry as a professor. After his …