Cross-Appointments
Fields of Study
- Biological Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
Areas of Interest
The Kay Lab is committed to the study of complex biological systems using novel NMR methodologies. Our diverse working environment fosters creativity and innovation, allowing us to push scientific boundaries. The laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular determinants of phase separation using NMR spectroscopy. The overarching goal of the group is to illustrate the critical role of molecular dynamics in regulating biological processes.
Put another way, we develop new NMR techniques that preserves the NMR signal in a manner such that it is much less affected by the devastating sensitivity losses that normally plague NMR applications to large systems. Using this methodology, it has become possible to study systems in quantitative detail with molecular weights as large as one million Daltons. This methodology has been applied to the proteasome, where we have elucidated how dynamics are able to regulate the entry of targets for degradation and the interactions between substrate and the proteasome.
Our work explains properties of the proteasome that cannot be understood on the basis of static three-dimensional structures and opens up the possibility of using allosteric drugs to modulate proteasome function.
We welcome all researchers, irrespective of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity.