TITLE: Structure and Dynamics of Functional Polyampholytes
SPEAKER: Professor Eva Y. Chi, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of New Mexico, USA
TIME: 12 May（Tuesday），AM9:30
LOCATION: 518 Meeting Room， Chemistry Building A (化学A楼会议室)
INVITER: Prof. Changming Dong, Prof. Xinyuan Zhu and Prof. Sixun Zheng

Eva Y. Chi, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Center for Biomedical Engineering
Website Address: http://bme.unm.edu/faculty/chi/index.html
Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sR0d8N4AAAAJ&hl=en
 
Biography
Prof. Chi was born in Xinjiang, China and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was thirteen years old. Prof. Chi received dual B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado. After four years as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, she joined the University of New Mexico, where she is now an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering. Prof. Chi is the recipient of many awards that recognized her excellence in research, including the University of New Mexico School of Engineering Junior Faculty Research Award, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, AVS Biomaterials Interface Division Young Investigator Award, and postdoctoral and graduate fellowships from the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation, respectively. Her research interests include physical and self-assembly properties of proteins, polymers, and biomembranes. In particular, her group studies the misfolding and aggregation of amyloid proteins that cause neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Her lab is involved in both fundamental and applied research, utilizing both experimental and computational tools, and is highly multi-disciplinary and collaborative, working at the interface of molecular biology, biophysics, and chemical engineering.

Teaching Interests
 Thermodynamics
 Transport
 Analytical Methods
 Protein Engineering
Research Center and Graduate Program Affiliations
 Center for Biomedical Engineering: http://cbme.unm.edu/
 Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program: http://bme.unm.edu/
 Nanoscience and Microsystems Engineering Graduate Program: http://nsms.unm.edu/

Seminar Abstract

Structure and Dynamics of Functional Polyampholytes

Eva Y. Chi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Center for Biomedical Engineering University of New Mexico, USA
Polyampholytes are amphiphilic macromolecules with mixed charges. Understanding the structural dynamics and molecular interactions of polyampholytes with soft biological materials represents a fundamental scientific challenge and has the potential to impact a number of fields. In this seminar, I will talk about our work in understanding the aggregation and toxicity behaviors of naturally occurring amyloid proteins that are linked to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. We have identified novel membrane-mediated mechanisms by which amyloid proteins isfold, aggregate, and exert neuronal toxicity. Our molecular level insights into the disease process have let to our current efforts in evaluating small, membrane active compounds for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and in developing a novel screening assay for amyloid protein aggregate induced toxicity. Additionally, I will describe our work in a new research direction in developing novel molecular sensors, utilizing synthetic conjugated polyelectrolyte oligomers synthesized by our collaborator David Whitten’s group, for the sensing and detection of neurodegenerative disorders. Our work in using the synthetic compounds for biocidal (e.g., antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-spore) applications will also be highlighted.