CBE Seminar (Zoom): Endowing Intelligence into Protein Biomaterials

Abstract: Inspired by nature’s biopolymers, Montclare engineers artificial protein materials with entirely new properties and functions. She employs synthetic and chemical biology to construct materials and endow them with stimuli-responsiveness. In particular, her lab has fabricated protein-derived nanomaterials: coiled-coil fibers, helix-elastin block polymers and supercharged coiled-coil•lipid complexes (or lipoproteoplexes). She investigates the fundamental self-assembly and molecular recognition capabilities of these systems. More importantly, she is able to harness these structures as well as others to interface with small molecule therapeutics, genes and cells.  

Bio: Jin Kim Montclare is a professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at NYU Tandon School of Engineering with appointments in chemistry, biomaterials and radiology. She is performing groundbreaking research in engineering proteins to mimic nature and, in some cases, work better than nature. She exploits nature’s biosynthetic machinery and evolutionary mechanisms to design new artificial proteins. Her lab focuses on two research areas: (1) developing protein biomaterials capable of self-assembling into supramolecular structures and (2) engineering functional proteins/enzymes for particular substrates with the aim of targeting human disorders, drug delivery and tissue regeneration. Montclare is the director of the Convergence for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute as well as the Computationally Driven Genetically Engineered Materials Center. She has garnered several awards and honors including the Distinguished Award for Excellence, Dedication to Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Agnes Faye Morgan Research Award, AIMBE College of Fellows and most recently, the AAAS Leshner Fellowship on Human Augmentation.

*For non-UCI persons wishing to attend this virtual seminar, please register here: https://forms.gle/QrtL7qusCDcW2LYK8