Biophysical Chemistry

ES: Cellulose is the most abundant biological material and it is a major constituent in straw, sawdust, sewage and other waste products from farming, agriculture and forestry. Our research group is working with enzymes that break down cellulose into small, fermentable sugars and thus make it useful for the production of ethanol and other compounds. Our focus is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms which underlie the function and regulation of these enzymes.

MEMBRANES: The matrix of cell membranes is a lipid membrane, which is only two molecules thick. We investigate how such lipid bilayer membranes are affected by small molecules. This work addresses questions such as “why are we intoxicated by alcohol”, “how is a nerve signals transmitted through the body” and “How can some biological cells survive drying”. Our work focuses on fundamental investigations of small soluble molecules and lipid membranes and we use the basic physical information to discuss biochemical and physiological questions.