Researchers in structural biology study the structure, function and assembly of biological molecules — and what that means for human health. At St. Jude, researchers have access to techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, single-molecule imaging and mass spectrometry.
To schedule an interview with one of our experts, email media@stjude.org.
Structural Biology Experts
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Senior vice president M. Madan Babu, PhD, chief data scientist, and head of the St. Jude Office of Data Science, is an early pioneer in establishing data science-based approaches to reveal principles of biological systems. He leads research leveraging computational and experimental methods to study biological systems at different scales of complexity.
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Scott C. Blanchard, PhD
Blanchard
Scott Blanchard, PhD, St. Jude Department of Structural Biology, leads the Single-Molecule Imaging Center. Through structural and biophysical approaches, Blanchard explores the dynamic nature of biomolecules to understand translational mechanisms of disease at the single-molecule level.
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Charalampos Kalodimos, PhD
Kalodimos
Charalampos Babis Kalodimos, PhD, St. Jude Department of Structural Biology chair, investigates the structure and dynamics of protein kinases and molecular chaperones. These are some of the most challenging biological systems to study and understand, yet they play central roles in pediatric cancer and other diseases. His research combines high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with other structural approaches to decipher normal and pathological mechanisms of action. Kalodimos has positioned St. Jude as a world leader in structural biology research, building unparalleled infrastructure such as the first Ascend 1.1 GHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer.
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Elizabeth H. Kellogg, PhD
Kellogg
Elizabeth Kellogg, PhD, St. Jude Department of Structural Biology, studies CRISPR-associated transposons, naturally occurring systems capable of selectively integrating DNA into the genome. Kellogg uses structural insight into the mechanisms behind genome editing to potentially harness these processes in translational studies.
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Tanja Mittag, PhD
Mittag
Tanja Mittag, PhD, St. Jude Department of Structural Biology, studies the molecular grammar behind the assembly and disassembly of condensates. These droplet-like structures in cells are increasingly seen to play vital roles in biological function and neurological diseases such as ALS and frontotemporal dementia.
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Georgios Skiniotis, PhD
Skiniotis
Georgios Skiniotis, PhD, St. Jude Department of Structural Biology and Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology, employs structural approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms driving intracellular communication via transmembrane receptor signaling. Of particular interest is GPCRs and their partner proteins.
