Our Interests
My lab is using electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine the atomic structures of macromolecules.
Molecular Virology and Microbiology
A special focus lies on infectious diseases. I have previously worked on the structures of human viruses, including HIV, ebola, polio, papilloma, polyoma and seneca valley virus, as well as some large insect viruses and bacteriophages. Another branch of research is focused on helical assemblies – in particular, bacterial and archaeal flagella that enable cellular motility. With significant experience in image processing methods, we have succeeded in determining the structures of objects with unconventional (e.g. superhelical) or no symmetry. The underlying goal in all projects is to link structure and function to discover mechanisms of pathogenicity, with the hope to contribute towards novel treatments of the related diseases.
A wider scale of view
At Academia Sinica, we will develop unique labels usable for light- and cryo-EM. We will combine fluorescence light microscopy, cellular tomography and single particle cryo-EM to characterize viral pathways in living cells.