The study of lipid rafts has attracted the attention of biological and physical scientists alike, and researchers have used model lipid systems as well as natural biological membranes to try to better understand these entities. It has been postulated that lipid rafts form due to complex formation between lipids and cholesterol. The objective of this project is to thoroughly test the complex formation hypothesis using monolayers, bilayers, unilamellar vesicles and natural membranes. These different model systems will provide information about structure and function of lipid rafts. A variety of biophysical tools will be used to obtain structural, morphological, and thermodynamic information and results from these studies will be correlated with one another to elucidate the interaction between lipids and sterols. The project will also bridge the gap between model and natural membrane systems, and resolve some of the inconsistencies found in various model systems. The knowledge gained from this work will greatly add to our fundamental understanding of lipid rafts.
This project will provide training opportunities for students and will help train the next generation of interdisciplinary research scientists. The project will further aid the development of a graduate course in membrane biophysics, as well as the curriculum development of an interdisciplinary degree-granting program spearheaded by the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics with the first incoming class planned for autumn of 2007. Apart from graduate students and postdocs, research opportunities will also be extended to high school, undergraduate, and international exchange students. International research collaboration will be promoted via a summer exchange student program established by the PI with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Chile Exchange Program of the University of Chicago MRSEC. The PI is committed to increasing the representation of women in academic science. Efforts will be made to address the opportunities for women in academic science via the PI's involvement as the co-chair of the Women in Physical Sciences Committee of the Physical Sciences Division at the University of Chicago. She will also host high school interns from the Young Women's Leadership Charter School in Chicago, one of twelve of its kind in the nation (YWLCS; all girl; 95%+ minorities).
