94118662 Brodsky This award will support travel expenses and communication costs, over a three year period, to enable Dr. Barbara Brodsky from the Department of Biochemistry at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey, to conduct cooperative research with Dr. John A. M. Ramshaw of the CSIRO Department of Biomolecular Engineering in Parkville, Victoria, Australia. The work will focus on defining the role specific amino acids found in collagen have in the biological function of the protein. The collagen triple-helix is the main protein in all connective tissues, and collagen containing materials are becoming important as biomaterials, as well as in the more traditional leather and gelatin industries. The principal investigators are collaborating on a model peptide approach to determine the effect of specific sequences on triple-helix stability and dynamics, to identify the structural features of functional regions in collagen, and to design collagen-like peptides which can form ordered arrays. The interests, expertise and facilities available through this collaboration are complementary to the proposed project. The visit by Dr. Ramshaw to the laboratory in New Jersey is funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Technology (DIST) under the U.S.-Australia Cooperative Science Program.
