Asst. Prof. Ümit Akbey is working at iNano with a DFF-MOBILEX funding from The Danish Council for Independent Research. He received a new prestigious research grant from Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS) funded by AU and EU. ( http://aias.au.dk/opportunities-at-aias/aiasfellowships/aias-cofund-fellowships/)

His project aims to determine atomic resolution structures of functional amyloids, non-soluble and non-crystalline solid protein aggregates. Functional amyloids are a new type of aggregated proteins having biological function, as a result differing from disease related protein fibrils (such as alpha-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease). Determining unknown structures of such proteins is an important step towards understanding protein aggregation in disease and function, so a key to find possible cures and clarifying protein folding/misfolding paradigm. His research method relies on utilizing advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy in combination with hyperpolarization for sensitivity enhancement, as well as recombinant protein production. Solid-state NMR is one of the few techniques capable of providing such atomic resolution, which has been proven very powerful for structural biology insoluble proteins.

Project Title:

Seeing the Invisible: Investigating Demanding Biological and Supramolecular Materials by Hyperpolarized Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Contact:

akbey@inano.au.dk