Gräter group at the INSEAM

Proteins are exposed to and tightly regulated by mechanical forces, altering their dynamics, reactivity, and function. The major interest of the Gräter group is to decipher how proteins have been designed to specifically respond to mechanical forces in or outside of the cell. Our focus at IMSEAM is the uncover the generation, nature, and mode of function of mechanoradicals in biological and synthetic materials, from collagen to synthetic polymers. These experimental studies complement our efforts in computational biochemistry and biophysics at the Heidelberg Institute of Theoretical Studies (HITS) and the Interdisciplinary Center of Scientific Computing (IWR) at Heidelberg University.
Our activities at CAM are supported by and embedded into the Excellence Cluster 3DMM2O and the ERC Consolidator grant RADICOL of Frauke Gräter.