Oxford University, Structural Bioinformatics & Computational Biochemistry Unit

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Matthias Schmidt

Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biochemistry Unit Dept. of Biochemistry University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3QU U.K. Telephone: 01865 613304 Fax: 01865 613238 e-mail: matthias.schmidt@chch.ox.ac.uk

Homology modeling and simulations of twin pore potassium and inward rectifiers
Background
I studied physics in Munich and Sydney and have spent over a year in the Netherlands at Philips Research working on optical biosensors before joining the Industrial Doctorate Centre at the University of Oxford. I came to the group for a D.Phil. in September 2010. My research is funded by the Systems Approaches to Biomedical Sciences Industrial Doctorate Centre and by Pfizer. I am jointly supervised by Prof Mark Sansom and Dr Stephen Tucker.
Research
Twin pore channels TREK and TRESK Twin pore channels are responsible for regulating the resting membrane potential. My interest is in modelling the structure of K2P channels. Kir channels Kir channels underlie important physiological processes. Renal and kidney function, hormone secretion, neuronal and cardiac excitability are affected by mutations in Kir channels which lead to inheritable diseases, such as Bartter's symtpom and diabetes. Kir channels open and close in response to ligands binding to the channel, a process known as gating. My research attempts to understand aspects of the gating and regulation process by using coarse grained and atomistic molecular simulations. I also started studying KirBac channels. Several crystal structures of KirBac channels are available (Gulbis etc) but they are all in the closed state.
Publications
Structure of a KirBac Potassium Channel with an Open Bundle-Crossing Indicates a Mechanism of Channel Gating. Vassily N. Bavro, Rita de Zorzi, Matthias R. Schmidt, Joao R.C. Muniz, Lejla Zubcevic, Mark S.P. Sansom, Catherine Venien-Bryan, Stephen J. Tucker (Nature Structure and Molecular Biology, 19 (2), p. 598). PIP2 binding to an Open State Model of Kir1.1 Probed by Multiscale Biomolecular Simulations. Matthias R. Schmidt, Phillip J. Stansfeld, Markus Rapedius, Thomas Baukrowitz, Stephen J. Tucker and Mark S. P. Sansom. (Poster presented at Biophysical Society Meeting, Baltimore, March 2011). X-Ray Crystal Structure of a Prokaryotic Kir channel in an Open Conformation: Insights into the Mechanism of Opening at the Bundle-Crossing Gate. Vassily N. Bavro, Rita de Zorzi, Matthias R. Schmidt, Joao R.C. Muniz, Lejla Zubcevic, Mark S.P. Sansom, Catherine Venien-Bryan, and Stephen J. Tucker. (Poster presented at the meeting of the Physiological Society in Oxford, July 2011) The wire grid biosensor for nucleic acid testing. Matthias R. Schmidt. Philips Technical Note, July 2009. The Wiregrid Microarray: A Versatile Microarray Concept for Real-time Hybridization Detection. R. de Boer, D. Klunder, R. Penterman, C. de Witz, R. Schroeders, J. Lub, Matthias R. Schmidt, in Advances in Microarray Technologies, Stockholm, 2009 (Poster) Optical Spectroscopy on Joints for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Matthias R. Schmidt. Philips Technical Note, February 2006.

Last updated 5 Dec5 Dec5 Dec5 Dec5 Dec 2011