Many questions remain on how the structure and function of proteins, complexes, organelles, and cells are coordinated during normal cellular functions and how this is disrupted in disease. My goal is to help bridge the gap between structural biology and physiology by pioneering new experimental and computational tools for multi-scale structural biology (atomic to cellular scales).

Challenge of spatial and temporal scales in cell mapping

We use pancreatic ß-cells as a model system to:

• determine the role of distinct micro-environments in subcellular neighborhoods on protein structure and function

• determine the role of insulinotropic drugs (compounds that stimulate insulin synthesis and secretion) in cellular rearrangements, including organelle-organelle interactions and trafficking

• develop new methods and infrastructure to support community engagement in whole-cell modeling