Follmer Lab
Our research group is dedicated to advancing the frontiers of metalloenzymology by designing innovative approaches to understand the non-equilibrium dynamics that drive the catalytic processes of metal-containing enzymes.
We combine state-of-the-art structural biology, spectroscopies, biophysics, and chemical biology methods to characterize enzymatic reactions with high structural and kinetic resolutions. This approach is designed to reveal how protein motions are coupled to the electronic structures of metallocofactors, shedding light on the role of dynamics in facilitating enzymatic mechanisms. In particular, we are interested in allosteric regulatory mechanisms that control the reactivity of metalloenzymes and implementing approaches where these processes can be studied by photo-initiation.
Our long-term vision is to pioneer strategies for selective catalysis and structure-based drug discovery. By working at the interface of bioinorganic chemistry, (bio)photocatalysis, and pharmacology, we aim to drive advancements in medicine and sustainable chemistry.
Active Research Areas
Allosteric Regulation of Cytochromes P450
Multimodal Time-resolved Methods for Simultaneous Protein and Electronic Structure Determination
Photo-controlled (Bio)catalysis
Coming Soon…
Techniques
- X-ray Crystallography
- Steady State and Time-resolved
- X-ray Absorption and Emission Spectroscopies (XAS/XES)
- Steady State and Time-resolved
- Electronic Absorption (UV-vis) and Fluorescence Spectroscopies
- Stopped-Flow Spectrophotometry
- Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC)
- Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy
- CW and Pulsed
- Resonance Raman (rR)
- Ultrafast Transient Absorption (TA) Spectroscopy
- Gas/Liquid Chromatography (GC/LC) Mass Spectrometry (MS)
- Molecular Dynamics Simulations (MD)
- Ab Initio and Density Functional Theory (DFT) Calculations
- Bioinformatics Methods
“Ostinato rigore”
Lab Updates
No posts were found.