The primary objective of this U. S.- Hungary cooperative research project between Dr. Harold Scheraga of Cornell University and Dr. Istvan Simon of the Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, is to pursue theoretical studies of protein folding. A promising statistical approach, characterized as "build-up," will be employed to combine conformational energy calculations on oligopeptides with statistical analyses of amino acid sequences and of three dimensional protein structures. Results may yield a rational, effective approach for determining the conformation of low-energy peptides. This project in biophysics fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling experts in the United States and Eastern Europe to combine complementary talents and pool research resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence.
