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Explore our cutting edge research, world-class patient care, career opportunities and more.
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About the Department
The primary goal of the Department of Structural Biology at St. Jude is to understand life and disease at the atomic level.
We use sophisticated biophysical techniques — such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, single-molecule imaging, and mass spectrometry — to determine the three-dimensional structures and dynamics of biological macromolecules. These experimental methods are combined with computational and data-science approaches, to provide insight into how macromolecules move, alter their structures and interact with other molecules, in order to carry out their biological functions. Such integrative studies expand our understanding of the most fundamental biological processes and of the diseases that arise when those processes go awry.
Researchers in our department are working to decipher the biophysical principles and molecular details of key cellular processes, including gene expression, subcellular organization, oncogenesis, protein translation, protein folding and misfolding, fatty acid biosynthesis, membrane transport, signaling and cell death. Atomic-level information of proteins and macromolecular complexes provide fundamental insights and can help design new therapeutics, materials and diagnostic tools.
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"Seeing the Invisible in Protein Kinases"
St. Jude Structural Biology has announced a new blue-sky initiative to detect and characterize rare conformational states in protein kinases. Join our team.
Learn about this Blue-Sky Initiative -
Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Discovery
The Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Discovery supports researchers in integrating large, multi-dimensional datasets to uncover new biological insights and testable hypotheses.
Learn about the Center of Excellence
In the news
Technology
Core Centers
The Technology Core Centers at the Structural Biology Department provide investigators with access to cutting-edge equipment and methodologies. Each Center is managed by dedicated staff scientists who provide training and support to researchers investigating structure–function of proteins and of macromolecular complexes. With in-house scientific expertise and state-of-the-art facilities, the Centers enable the combination of multiple approaches to tackle challenging biological problems, thus empowering integrative structural biology.
Protein Technologies Center
Director: Ravi Kalathur, PhD
Biomolecular NMR Center
Director: Youlin Xia, PhD
Biomolecular X-Ray Crystallography Center
Director: Darcie Miller, PhD
Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center
Director: Syed Asfarul Haque, PhD
Single-Molecule Imaging Center
Computational Structural Biology Center
(in development)
Cryo-Electron Tomography Center
(in development)
Center of Mass Spectrometry for Structural Biology
(in development)
Structural Biology Faculty
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M. Madan Babu, PhD, FRSC, FMedSci, FRS
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chief Data Scientist and Senior Vice President for Data Science
Director, Center of Excellence for Data Driven Discovery
George J. Pedersen Endowed Chair in Biological Data Sciences
M. Madan Babu, PhD, FRSC, FMedSci, FRS
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chief Data Scientist and Senior Vice President for Data Science
Director, Center of Excellence for Data Driven Discovery
George J. Pedersen Endowed Chair in Biological Data Sciences
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Using data science and computational methods to study biological systems across scales, from atomic structures to population-level genetics
- Investigating GPCR signaling, intrinsically disordered proteins, gene regulation, protein degradation, and homeostasis
- Developing tools for biological data science, systems biology, network biology, and structural bioinformatics
- Applying findings to understand disease-causing mutations and advance biotechnology, drug discovery, and personalized medicine
Contact Information
M. Madan Babu, PhD, FRSC, FMedSci, FRS
Structural Biology
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Scott C. Blanchard, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Endowed Chair in Molecular Imaging
Scott C. Blanchard, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Endowed Chair in Molecular Imaging
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Investigating structure-function relationships in macromolecular assemblies using genetic, biochemical, and spectroscopic techniques
- Developing single-molecule fluorescence imaging methods to study biological processes
- Focusing on protein synthesis, ribosome biogenesis, membrane protein signaling, and small-molecule interventions in infectious diseases
- Revealing regulatory mechanisms to improve clinical interventions and advance human health
Contact Information
Scott C. Blanchard, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room M6430
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Christoph Gorgulla, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Christoph Gorgulla, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Development of next generation methods for computational biology and ligand/drug discovery based on ultra-large virtual screenings, artificial intelligence, quantum chemistry and quantum computing
- Applied ligand/drug discovery, in particular related to the fields of cancer, epigenetics and healthy aging
Contact Information
Christoph Gorgulla, PhD
Department of Structural Biologyh
MS 311
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Mario Halic, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Regulation of genome expression
- Recognition and silencing of foreign genetic elements
- Chromatin modifications that lead to silencing (cryo-EM)
- Changes in chromatin structure induced by chromatin modifiers (cryo-EM)
Contact Information
Mario Halic, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room M6418
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Charalampos Kalodimos, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chair, Structural Biology Department
Joseph Simone Endowed Chair in Basic Research
Charalampos Kalodimos, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chair, Structural Biology Department
Joseph Simone Endowed Chair in Basic Research
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Structural biology approaches, including high-resolution NMR spectroscopy
- Protein kinases, such as the Bcr-Abl causing chronic myelogenous leukemia
- Molecular chaperones, such as the Hsp90 and Hsp70/40 families involved in cancer
- The injectisome and the flagellum machineries in pathogenic bacteria involved in infectious diseases
- Membrane transporter proteins in pathogenic bacteria
Contact Information
Charalampos Kalodimos, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room D1024E
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Richard Kriwacki, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Co-Leader, Cancer Biology Program
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Sciences, UT Health Science Center, Memphis
Richard Kriwacki, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Co-Leader, Cancer Biology Program
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Sciences, UT Health Science Center, Memphis
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Regulation of cell division, apoptosis and ribosome biogenesis
- Intrinsically disordered proteins, including p21- and p27-mediated regulation of Cdks that control cell division
- Molecular mechanisms by which cytosolic p53 regulates intrinsic apoptosis
- Phase separation in nucleolar structure, function and dynamics and how this relates to neurodegenerative diseases
Contact Information
Richard Kriwacki, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room M7434
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Chia-Hsueh Lee, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chia-Hsueh Lee, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Molecular mechanisms of membrane signaling complexes
- Structural biology of membrane proteins
- Functions of ion channels and transporters
- Cryo-electron microscopy
Contact Information
Chia-Hsueh Lee, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room M6420
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Tanja Mittag, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Phase separation and its role in functional compartmentalization
- Dysregulation of phase separation in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases
- Sequence/conformation/function relationship of intrinsically disordered proteins
Contact Information
Tanja Mittag, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room M7432
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Junmin Peng, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Mass spectrometry-based proteomics and metabolomics
- Systems biology of cancer
- Molecular pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease
- Ubiquitin and proteome turnover
Contact Information
Junmin Peng, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room M7430
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Brenda Schulman, PhD
Adjunct Faculty, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Brenda Schulman, PhD
Adjunct Faculty, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Post-translational modification by ubiquitin-like proteins
- Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis
- Protein design to understand cell cycle control
The Schulman lab studies the structural basis for post-translational modification by ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins (Ubls). Post-translational covalent attachment of Ubls to protein targets is a primary eukaryotic regulatory mechanism. There are more than a dozen Ubls in higher eukaryotes—such as ubiquitin, NEDD8, ISG15, and SUMO—that covalently modify myriad substrates. The best understood function of a Ubl modification is ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation. However, different Ubls alter the functions of their targets in different ways, such as by changing the target's subcellular localization, enzymatic activity, or interactions with other proteins or DNA. Moreover, defects in these pathways have been widely associated with diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and viral infections.
Ubls are attached to protein targets by a series of molecular handoffs involving an E1 activating enzyme, an E2 conjugating enzyme (or Ubc), an E3 ligase, and the target. First, at the apex of each Ubl's cascade, a dedicated E1 enzyme selects its Ubl and catalyzes adenylation of the Ubl’s C-terminus. The E1 then forms a thioester intermediate between the E1's catalytic cysteine and the Ubl's C terminus, and ultimately catalyzes Ubl transfer to an E2's catalytic cysteine to generate a thioester-linked E2~Ubl covalent product. The E2~Ubl complex typically associates with an E3, which facilitates transfer of the Ubl to the target.
We believe that determining the mechanisms by which enzymes transfer Ubls will be of broad importance, much like studies of protein kinases have influenced our knowledge of signaling pathways and their roles in diseases. Toward this end, the goals of our research are (1) to understand the basic enzymatic mechanisms underlying Ubl attachment to targets, (2) to understand how Ubls are attached selectively, and (3) to understand mechanisms by which Ubl covalent attachment can change enzyme and target function.
Contact Information
Brenda Schulman, PhD
Structural Biology
MS 311, Room D5024E
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Georgios Skiniotis, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Director, Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology
Endowed Chair in Structural Cell Biology
Georgios Skiniotis, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Director, Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology
Endowed Chair in Structural Cell Biology
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Elucidating mechanistic aspects of signal recognition and propagation through G-protein coupled receptors and their partner proteins
- Using structure-based approaches to characterize the binding properties of novel small molecules and develop next-generation ligands for use as tools and potential therapeutics
- Visualizing native signaling complexes in situ with cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET)
Contact Information
Georgios Skiniotis, PhD
Department of Structural Biology
MS 311
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Stephen White, DPhil
Emeritus, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- The discovery and optimization of small molecule inhibitors to block catalysis with emphasis on antibacterial and antiviral compounds
- Bacterial lipid and phospholipid metabolism
- The mechanisms by which enzymes accelerate chemical reactions during catalysis
- Cancer drug discovery
- Fundamental mechanisms of DNA repair pathways and their roles in cancer
Contact Information
Stephen White, DPhil
Structural Biology
MS 1500, Room D1024E
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
Department team
Charalampos G. Kalodimos, PhD
Chair, Joseph Simone Endowed Chair in Basic Research
Robert Hsu
Sr. Director of Operations
Elisabetta Bini, PhD
Director of Research Operations
Inês Chen, PhD
Director of Scientific & Strategic Operations
Zhaowen Luo, MSc
Scientific Visualization Engineer
Sara Alston
Administrative Director
David Farmer
Sr. Administrative Coordinator
Angela Williams
Administrative Coordinator
Meredith Serna
Administrative Coordinator
Fisseha Moges, MPA
Administrative Coordinator
Blair Nieman
Manager Research Administration
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Structural Biology MS311
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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