Mofrad Lab models how cells interact with surroundings

March 21, 2013 –

Cells interact constantly with their surroundings, but it’s very difficult to observe the main player in this interaction – a protein called integrin. Professor Mohammad Mofrad and bioengineering graduate student Mehrdad Mehrbod have developed a computer model of integrin that gives researchers a new way to explore how the protein connects a cell’s inner and outer environments. 

This schematic shows two integrin components (red and blue) protruding from a cell membrane. (Credit: Mofrad lab)

This research was reported in the journal PLoS Computational Biology. 

Read more at Lawrence Berkeley Lab.