To advance knowledge about membrane proteins, Sandia funded groundbreaking research through its Interfacial Bioscience Grand Challenge (IBIG) project.
In particular, the team studied the mechanisms of “signaling and intoxication” that might enable biological agents, such as anthrax or botulism, to try to kill cells or interfere with the body’s internal signaling systems agents. This knowledge is needed to develop new methods for detecting biological agents or creating drugs that will block bioagents.
To do this, the team developed unique experimental and computational capabilities for understanding membrane protein structure, including: