Without biological membranes, there would be no life as we know it. Transport of molecules and information across these membranes is carried out by integral membrane protein channels, receptors, pumps and transporters. Living cells maintain chemical gradients and electrical potential differences across their membranes using proteins that represent the majority of all current drug targets. Therefore, membrane proteins have been the focus of intense efforts to obtain high resolution macromolecular structure information. However, the current lack of experimental methods to carry out time-resolved structural studies of membrane proteins at physiological temperatures and under physiological gradients leaves a gigantic blind spot is our mechanistic understanding.
This project is a part of an ERC-funded consortium that will address this challenge by bringing together complementary expertise in membrane protein biology, time-resolved structural studies, photochemistry and nano fabrication methods. The role of the PhD working in this position will be to design, synthesize and evaluate new light-activated molecules to deliver protein transport substrates with unprecedented efficiency. Within this team, the PhD student will be supported, among others, by a dedicated postdoc researcher with expertise in quantum chemistry for guiding the development of light-activated molecules.
Organization
The vacancy is within the newly formed Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Photopharmacology and Imaging at the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen. The ERC-funded (ERC Synergy GRAIL) project aims at providing molecular basis for the instant, photochemical release of ligands for proteins studied in unprecedented level of structural dynamics using equipment developed by the GRAIL consortium.
The University of Groningen (founded in 1614) has a long tradition of academic excellence, being one of the oldest research universities in Europe. The University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists. Currently approximately 34,000 students are enrolled and about 1,500 PhD students work on their theses. The city of Groningen is a historic town and among the ten biggest cities in The Netherlands. It is a vibrant student town with a direct train connection to Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam.
The Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy (GRIP) is part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) of the University of Groningen and collaborates closely with the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). The pharmaceutical and medical research within GRIP and the UMCG is very multidisciplinary. This project aims to develop light-activation processes for the emerging field of time-resolved structural biology, fitting perfectly into the fundamental and applied work performed in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Photopharmacology and Imaging at GRIP.