A new SPR based method to measure the diffusion coefficient: applications in protein misfolding studies

My group has recently developed a new SPR based method to measure the diffusion coefficient of molecules (Zingale et al., Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X, 13 (2023) 100306), which allows to assess how the diffusion coefficient of molecules varies depending on the environmental conditions. In this work, the candidate will apply the newly designed method to proteins involved in conformational diseases, Amyloid beta peptides among the others. The effect of metal ions, pH, oxidative conditions and the presence of small molecules on the amyloid beta oligomerization/conformation will be assessed by the newly developed method. New insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in Alzheimer's disease will be hopefully obtained.