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Liang Lab group photo

The Laboratory of Structural Cell Biology at Emory, led by Dr. Bo Liang, conducts interdisciplinary research in biochemistry, structural biology, molecular cell biology, microbiology and neurobiology. The principal goal of our research is to scrutinize high-resolution structural details and to understand the molecular mechanisms of large assemblies, including ribonucleoprotein complexes and membrane proteins using integrated approaches of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), x-ray crystallography and fluorescence light microscopy. Towards this goal, we have the following integrated areas of research emphasis:

  1. To understand the RNA synthesis machinery and to establish the RNA synthesis platform of non-segmented negative-sense (NNS) RNA viruses using multiple approaches.
  1. To decipher the molecular mechanisms of neurobiological diseases related proteins, including membrane receptors, ion channels and neurodegenerative disordered related assemblies using integrated methods.
  2. To define the structural and functional basis of other significant and challenging systems of protein, RNA and ribonucleoprotein complexes by cryo-EM and x-ray crystallography.

We are particularly interested in fostering collaborative environment. We are keen to exploit our expertise in structural biology, and particularly cryo-EM, to elucidate the molecular machineries and associated mechanisms of traditionally challenging and interesting biological systems through collaboration.

For the description of our research programs and a collection of our results, see our Research page. You can consult the list of Publications, linked to their respective PDFs. You can get to know the lab members in our Lab Members page. Visit our Contact page for directions and other relevant information.