20200930 

Welcome Dr. Jonathan Coleman, a new faculty member of MBSB!!

Jonathan received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of British Columbia and his Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Robert Molday. In 2013, he joined the Eric Gouaux's lab at Oregon Health & Science University as a postdoctoral fellow. In May 2020, he became an assistant professor in the Department of Structural Biology at the University of Pittsburgh.

 

The aim of his research is to elucidate the molecular function, architecture, and high-affinity drug binding sites of synaptic vesicle transporters in neurons by studying their function using biochemical techniques and determining their structures using single particle cryo-EM. He is particularly interested in understanding the conformational changes and mechanism associated with transport. He has developed methods for large-scale expression, stabilization by drugs, and for the production of antibodies which recognize these transporters. The use of transporter-antibody complexes is essential in order to provide mass and molecular features to assist in cryo-EM reconstructions because these transporters are small membrane proteins which are largely ensconced within membrane. Atomic structures of transporters in complex with therapeutic drugs are essential for the design of better small-molecule therapeutics with higher specificity and fewer side-effects and will also advance efforts toward understanding the function of these transporters.

 

By MBSB.