Molecular Modeling/bioinformatics My interests in computers stared with web design, and computer graphics. In the last few years I have been interested in molecular modeling. Molecular modeling is an essential method used to help predict the main structural features of a protein. More than often, from computer models, it is possible to derive useful functional information about the proteins in concerned. pictures
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Microfluidics |
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| Also, my interests encompasses the development of capillary electrophoresis methodologies that enable rapid and efficient assays of biomedical importance. This direction entails the incorporation and optimization of clinically relevant assays into the electrophoretic microchip format. Optimization has focused on silica coatings, sieving matrixes and macro to micro interfaces for fluid transfer and electrophoretic procedures. Other focuses of research are the development and optimization instrumentation, with which to address electrophoretic microchips optically, and novel detection methods for microchip analysis. pictures | |
Glycobiology
| The role of carbohydrates in cell-cell interactions is complex, elaborate and to some extent obscure. However, I think its complexity makes it a challenging as well a fascinating field of study. One important case of these cell-cell interactions is the one that occurs between sperm and egg in mammals since some consider this interaction to be the beginning of life. In sexual reproduction, the path taken by millions of sperms to reach the ovum is unique since only about 0.002 % will actually have contact with the oviduct. |  |
| The only sperm that will survive and combines its generic material to produce a new life is the one that fuses to its counterpart germ cell, the egg, the rest of the sperm will not survive for long in their own. The ability of the egg to receive the sperm and allow it into the egg is not random luck but due to highly specific sperm-egg interactions, which will allow one sperm of the right species with a determinate "key" to go though into the egg. The key-lock is a unique set of carbohydrates from glycoproteins belonging to the Zona Pellucina (ZP), a coat that surrounds the oocyte in mammals. |
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| Another example in this fascinating field is the role of glycosylation of cell surface receptors involved in immunological recognition such in the HIV virus and the CD4 receptors. Results obtained by Schonning et al., an coworkers demonstrated the significant of N-glycans when interacting with some specific antibodies. | |