Molecular motors and switches comprise a set of related nucleotide binding proteins that lie at the heart of life's processes, from the division and growth of cells to the muscular movement of organisms. They represent attractive targets for drug design as their aberrant function is associated with many diseases including cancer. Research in the Grant lab focuses on the development and application of state-of-the-art computational and theoretical techniques to investigate the structure, dynamics and interactions of these fascinating nanomachines.

Our research aims to decipher the physical mechanisms by which cytoskeletal motors and related G-proteins function and how their dysfunction is related to disease.

Molecular motors and switches are responsible for powering and regulating diverse cellular functions. Their descent from a common ancestor is reflected in structural and mechanistic similarities that allows principles learned from one system to be extrapolated and generalized to others.

Read a press release about some of our recent findings on these systems, including how to rationally engineer faster velocity molecular motors and inhibit molecular switches that are malfunctioning in 30% of all human cancers.

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Tags: molecular_motors, g-proteins, molecular_switches, NTPases, evolution