Mechanistic Understanding of the Formation of Polymer-Lipid Discs

"Membrane proteins constitute 30% of the human genome and are targeted by 40% of drugs, however, very little is known about their structure and function. This is due to challenges arising during the purification and isolation from the cellular membrane, with traditional methods removing the native environment and therefore destabilising the membrane protein. Polymers like Styrene Maleic Acid (SMA) have been used to form discs of the membrane, known as SMALPs. These can contain the membrane protein target and therefore allow for their study, whilst also maintaining the native membrane environment. Although polymers are a commonly used alternative to the traditional methods, very little is known of the mechanism of how the SMALPs are formed.
This project will focus on studying the kinetics of the reaction of liposomes as model membranes and the SMA polymer. A range of biophysical techniques will be used, along with mathematical analysis of the data to extract the parameters underlying the reaction. This will reveal insights into the mechanism and aid the understanding of polymer solubilisation, along with a greater understanding of the use of SMA for membrane protein purification."