Huong Kratochvil

Assistant Professor

Protein biophysics, protein design, membrane proteins, biochemistry

In de novo protein design, we engineer artificial proteins from first principles to address complex mechanistic questions in biology: we can isolate key structural features from natural proteins and engineer them into de novo scaffolds to critically examine aspects of their function. The Kratochvil lab combines biophysical approaches with protein design strategies to 1) test mechanistic hypotheses of membrane protein assembly and function, and to 2) develop novel protein-protein interactions in engineering potent biologics. Through protein design, biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology, we will be able to tackle key questions in ion channel/transporter structure and function: what forces govern how membrane proteins assemble? What are the critical structural features that encode for proton-selective transport? Water-selective transport? In the same vein, we are excited to apply de novo design approaches to address central questions of protein-protein interactions in immunology, offering a new biomolecular perspective to immunology and immunological processes, and serving as a foundation for the design and development of protein-based therapeutics.