Event
Bioengineering Seminar Series: Max Berkowitz
Friday, November 4, 2016
9:00 a.m.
Pepco Room (1105), Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building
Prof. Silvina Matysiak
matysiak@umd.edu
Max Berkowitz
Professor
Theoretical and Computational Chemistry,
Biophysical Chemistry
University of North Carolina
How to make pores in biological membranes
Berkowitz will present some of the results from his group's molecular dynamics computer simulations performed to study the action of a peptide, melittin, on the model lipid membranes. Melittin anti-microbial activity is due to creation of pores in membranes. Issues related to understanding of structural and mechanical properties of membranes during the initial and final stages of pore creation will be discussed.
Berkowitz and his research team also performed simulations to study how a shock wave assisted implosion of nano-bubbles located next to lipid bilayers produce bilayer damage by creating pores in them. It is speculated that this kind of damage to membranes may cause traumatic brain injury. Berkowitz will also present some results from simulations that study how shock wave induced bubble implosion damages the blood brain barrier or channel proteins imbedded in the lipid bilayer.
