CBE - Liquid-liquid Phase Separation of Charged Polymers and Biomolecules

This work will use molecular simulation techniques (Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics simulation) along with appropriate mathematical modeling and statistical analysis to examine the driving forces behind liquid-liquid phase separation in synthetic polymers and biomolecules. Recent work has implicated liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in cellular environments as a driver of disease pathology. However, the physical and chemical conditions which result in intracellular LLPS are poorly understood. This project will collaborate with experimental groups both at ND and elsewhere to explain novel findings regarding cellular pH and local compositional differences in driving LLPS.