University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · ChemistrySwitchable Metalloproteins Lab
Lisa Olshansky · Champaign, Illinois
Research Focus
Dr. Lisa Olshansky's lab focuses on understanding how structural changes in proteins can influence their functional properties, particularly in metalloenzymes. The research combines synthetic metal complexes with proteins that can change shape to create innovative models—called switchable artificial metalloproteins (swArMs)—to study these dynamics. This work aims to improve our understanding of enzyme behavior and ultimately develop new tools for biocatalysis, bioimaging, and energy conversion, all of which are crucial for human health.
metalloenzymesprotein dynamicsbiocatalysisbioimagingenergy conversionallosteric regulationsynthetic biologythermodynamicskinetics
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how structural changes affect metalloenzyme reactivity.
AIM 02Develop switchable artificial metalloproteins to study conformational dynamics.
AIM 03Quantify thermodynamic and kinetic parameters in enzyme catalysis.
AIM 04Explore the mechanisms of regulation in metalloenzyme function.
AIM 05Create new biocatalysts and bioimaging agents for human health applications.
Skills the Lab Values
protein expressionmetal complex synthesisspectroscopybiophysical characterizationmolecular modelingenzymatic assayscell-free systemskinetic analysisbioinformatics
Output against the department
Publications70bottom 13% of dept.189th of 216
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations405bottom 3% of dept.209th of 216
this lab
most citedleast cited
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