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Hwang Biomolecular NMR Group

Our Lab

Our lab is situated in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Alberta. We are interested in characterizing life processes at the atomic level using multi-nuclear (non-radioactive 1H, 13C, and 15N) multi-dimensional solution NMR spectroscopy, along with other biophysical techniques. We have a number of ongoing projects, ranging from the development of solution NMR methodology to protein structure determination to clinical application.

Our Lab in the News

  • Global News, Health Matters
    A new blood test has been developed that details the extent of cardiac damage from an apparent heart attack. March 15, 2018
  • EurekAlert!
    New heart attack test better informs of underlying condition. March 15, 2018
  • UPI
    Blood test takes guesswork out of assessing apparent heart attack. March 15, 2018

Projects

  • Project #1Structural biology of the thin filament
  • Project #2Developing cardiac troponin modulators to treat heart failure
  • Project #3: Developing a troponin assay that can distinguish between type 1 and type 2 myocardial infarction
  • Project #4: Determining the structure and catalytic mechanism of the membrane protein PagP using novel isotope labelling strategies

Our Lab Publications

  • Zahran, S., Figueiredo, V. P., Graham, M. M., Schulz, R. & Hwang, P. M. Proteolytic Digestion of Serum Cardiac Troponin I as Marker of Ischemic Severity. The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine jalm.2017.025254 (2018). doi:10.1373/jalm.2017.025254 [ahead of print]
  • Mahmud, Z. & Hwang, P. M. Cardiac Troponin Complex: Cardiac Troponin C (TNNC1), Cardiac Troponin I (TNNI3), and Cardiac Troponin T (TNNT2). Encyclopedia of Signaling Molecules. (2017)
  • Danmaliki, G. I., Liu, P. B. & Hwang, P. M. Stereoselective Deuteration in Aspartate, Asparagine, Lysine, and Methionine Amino Acid Residues Using Fumarate as a Carbon Source for Escherichia coli in D2O. Biochemistry 56, 6015-6029 (2017).
  • Cai, F., Li, M.X., Pineda-Sanabria, S.E., Gelozia, S., Lindert, S., West, F., Sykes, B.D., and Hwang, P.M. Structures reveal details of small molecule binding to cardiac troponin. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 101, 134-144 (2016).
  • Hwang, P.M. "(De-)sensitization" vs. "Uncoupling": what drives cardiomyopathies in the thin filament? Cardiovasc. Res. 109, 185-186. (2016).
  • Li, M. X. & Hwang, P. M. Structure and function of cardiac troponin C (TNNC1): Implications for heart failure, cardiomyopathies, and troponin modulating drugs. Gene 571, 153-166 (2015).
  • Hwang, P. M. & Sykes, B. D. Targeting the sarcomere to correct muscle function. Nat Rev Drug Discov 14, 313-328 (2015).
  • Zahran, S., Pan, J. S., Liu, P. B. & Hwang, P. M. Combining a PagP fusion protein system with nickel ion-catalyzed cleavage to produce intrinsically disordered proteins in E. coli. Protein Expr. Purif. 116, 133-138 (2015).

Lab Members

  • Peter Hwang
    Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
    Adjunct Professor, Department of Biochemistry
  • Monica Li
    Research Associate
  • Philip Liu
    Lab Manager
  • Fangze Cai
    PhD Student
  • Somaya Zahran
    PhD Student
  • Gaddaffi Ibrahim Danmaliki
    PhD Student
  • Zabed Mahmud
    PhD Student
  • Prabhpaul Dhami
    Summer Student