Research:
Research in the Fetrow Laboratory is focused on understanding the relationships between the structures, functions and dynamic motions of protein molecules, with the long term goal of identifying the underlying concepts that will accelerate and enhance the structure-based drug discovery process. Current projects can be grouped into three major areas:
- Dynamic and electrostatic analysis of functional sites in proteins. (Funded by the NSF)
- Modeling of signal transduction pathways, particularly redox signaling pathways. (Funded by NIGMS and NCI)
- Analysis of long-range communication and allostery in proteins.
A unifying element among these projects is the computational tools that we are continually developing and implementing, including databases for rapid retrieval of information about protein functional sites, computational algebraic and Bayesian methods for analyzing systems biology, and electrostatic analysis across molecular dynamics simulations. Our research is highly interdisciplinary—each project includes collaborations with researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill, and other institutions.
For details on projects, see the Research page.
Student Projects:
We have projects for both graduate and undergraduate students in biophysics, computer science, and structural biology. A concentration in physics or computer science is not required—students majoring in biology or chemistry have successfully completed research projects in our group. The only requirement is a desire to pursue an individual research project and a curiosity about proteins and protein structure. Students might choose to study the relationship between function, dynamics and inhibitor binding in a particular protein or protein family; or they might choose to develop algorithms for automatic location of functional sites in proteins or for matching of inhibitors to protein functional sites. If you are interested in these or other possibilities, please contact Dean Fetrow.
Undergraduate students: are you interested in both physics and biology?
Check out the Wake Forest Concentration in Biophysics and Biochemistry. The Concentration in Biophysics and Biochemistry allows you to obtain a BA in Physics or a BA in Chemistry, with a core set of biophysics and biochemistry courses that provide a rigorous and quantitative training, while maintaining a specific focus on the biosciences. By following the outlined Track courses, you will obtain a knowledge-base that makes you highly qualified to pursue research careers in the biotechnology industry or graduate research and education in biochemistry, biophysics, or the pharmaceutical sciences. You would also be prepared for a number of non-science careers, such as those in secondary education, business, or law. With strong biochemistry and biophysics research programs in the Physics and Chemistry Departments, Wake Forest is uniquely poised to offer this integrated and comprehensive track, with a diverse offering of undergraduate research opportunities.
Graduate students: are you interested in interdisciplinary studies in biophysics and structural biology?
Check out the Structural and Computational Biophysics (SCB) Graduate Track at WFU. This Track offers students the opportunity to obtain advanced degrees (Ph.D. or M.S.) in a traditional discipline (Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, or Computer Science), while receiving broad training in the interdisciplinary field of Structural and Computational Biophysics. Track faculty represent all four disciplines and include additional affiliated faculty from Biology and Biomedical Engineering.
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Outward Bound 2006:
Team Tireless — Adrian, Chris, Hailie Hampton, Jenny, Jonathan, Kelley, Nathan, Stephen, Tom, Jacque, Kelly and Ray.
