Dr. Barry Karger’s lab has developed a new ultra-trace LC-MS platform to characterize comprehensively receptor membrane proteins in tissues. The lab determines not only high sequence coverage but also the posttranslational modifications and the amino acid residue sites of attachment. The platform is being applied to biomarker and drug target characterization. One example is the study of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as a function of disease.

Dr. William Hancock’s lab is developing technologies to discover new biomarkers in blood for the early detection of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The new platforms involve the use of lectins (sugar binding proteins) and the study of proteolysis (the peptidome) in patients blood samples. The research uses HPLC coupled to ion trap and Fourier Transform mass spectrometry.

Under the direction of Dr. Alexandros Makriyannis, the Center for Drug Discovery’s efforts involve modern methods for drug design and synthesis. Ligand-based structural biology is an innovative approach developed within the Center for designing new drug candidates using a combination of chemical, biochemical, and biophysical approaches. Proteomic, mass spectroscopic approaches are utilized for receptor characterization, as well as NMR and computer methods for receptor modeling and drug design.