Chang-Hui Shen (S): -, protein-protein interactions FACULTY TEAM LEADERS Chwen-Yang Shew (S): statistical mechanics of model biological systems Probal Banerjee (S): phosphatidylserine-membrane assemblies Ruth E. Stark (C): protein-ligand and plant assem- and receptors blies; NMR methodology Lesley Davenport (B): , protein and DNA interactions; Raymond Tu (C): and biomacromolecule engineering, fluorescence interfacial assembly Ruel Desamero (Y) protein-small molecule interactions; Raman Eleanore Wurtzel (S): protein-mediated regulation of carotenoid and IR spectroscopy biosynthesis Ranajeet Ghose (C): structural of signal transduction, Yujia Xu (H): protein folding, macromolecular assembly protein dynamics; NMR methodology Zhou, Shuiqin (S): self-assembly of amphiphilic copolymers, M. Lane Gilchrist, Jr. (C): biomolecular materials; supramo- and fullerene-based surfactants lecular assemblies Emeritus Faculty: Tom Haines, Maria Luisa Tasayco Dixie J. Goss (H): studies of protein-nucleic acid interactions Campus affiliation: B – Brooklyn College; H – Hunter College; Y – York Col- and regulation of transcription and . lege; C – City College; S – College of Staten Island; G – CUNY Graduate Center Paul Gottlieb (C): assembly, replication and structure of cysto- ; viral etiology of systemic autoimmune disease Nancy L. Greenbaum (H): RNA structure, interactions with REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS ions and ; NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy Marilyn Gunner (C): computational electrostatics of protein The CUNY Advanced Science Research Center is CUNY’s collab- Institute for Macromolecular recognition orative, interdisciplinary research center, operated by the Graduate Gabor T. Herman (G): image processing in biological 3D Center and located on the City College campus. The mission of the Assemblies (MMA) electron ASRC is to elevate scientific research and education at the university through five distinctive disciplines: environmental sciences, nanosci- Anuradha Janakiraman (C): molecular mechanisms of bacte- ence, neuroscience, photonics, and . rial growth and division at David Jeruzalmi (C): DNA replication and repair: structure and Founded by nine eminent research institutions in 1999, the New York Structural Biology Center (NYSBC), located on CUNY’s City College campus, is a global leader in structural biology. With The City College of New York George John (C): organic synthesis, self-assembled soft materi- unsurpassed expertise and instrumentation, the NYSBC provides als, and bionanotechnology biomedical research services to commercial and academic clients, Francine Katz (C): targeting protein biochemistry for new including high throughput -to-structure­ determination, structure- therapeutics based drug design, crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, cryo-electron Reza Khayat (C): structural studies of host-pathogen interac- microscopy and protein production. This consortium shares numer- tion and cytoskeletal regulation using x-ray crystallography and ous high-field NMR spectrometers operating at 500-900 MHz, a 600 Cryo-EM MHz Dynamic Nuclear Polarization spectrometer, numerous high-end Ronald Koder (C): protein design, cofactor design, solution and TEMs and SEMs, and access to NYX, an X-ray beamline designed to solid state NMR utilize the brightness of the NSLS-II, the synchrotron facility opened in 2015 at Brookhaven National Lab. The NYSBC supports projects to Themis Lazaridis (C): modeling protein-membrane interactions elucidate the role of proteins and nucleic acids in human disease and to and molecular recognition develop fields such as structural genomics and . https://mma.ccny.cuny.edu Louis Levinger (Y): biochemistry and molecular biology of RNA processing The New York Center for Biomedical Engineering at the City College of New York, a consortium involving CUNY, Weill Medical CUNY Chancellor: Félix V. Matos Rodríguez Hiroshi Matsui (H): bionanotechnology, biomimetics, bioelec- College of Cornell University, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, tronics, sensors, peptide assembly, biomaterials CCNY President: Vincent Boudreau was established to serve as a national urban model for biomedical Fred Naider (S): receptor function; membrane transporters, engineering training for both undergraduate and graduate students. protein-membrane interactions Founded in 1994 by Distinguished Professor Sheldon Weinbaum, the Sebastien Poget (S): membrane protein NMR, ion channels, Center includes 30 faculty and their teams who have worked to create CUNY Institute for Macromolecular Assemblies transmembrane receptors a robust pipeline for African-American and Hispanic students in this at The City College of New York Krishnaswami Raja (S): synthetic -biopolymer hybrid specialization from high school internship through the Ph.D. degree. Ruth E. Stark, Director materials; chemically modified biomacromolecular assemblies The NYCBE promotes interactions between the CCNY Department Lauren Gohara, Executive Assistant of Biomedical Engineering and partner clinical institutions, enabling 160 Convent Avenue. New York, NY 10031-9101 Kevin Ryan (C): biochemistry and molecular biology of pre- Phone: 212.650.8803 FAX: 212.650.6107 mRNA processing; molecular recognition in olfaction activities such as translational technology development and the place- ment of CCNY BME students in research laboratories at consortium (continued on next page) partner institutions. 2020 WHAT IS THE CUNY MMA? RESEARCH GOALS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Approved as an Institute of the City University of The specific longstanding research goals of the GRADUATE New York (CUNY) in July, 2003, the Macromo- CUNY Macromolecular Assemblies Institute involve • CUNY Ph.D. Programs in Chemistry, Biology, lecular Assemblies Institute (MMA) builds on the basic research with applications primarily to human Biochemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, research strength of campus-based faculty in Chem- health, energy transfer, and agriculture. Our faculty- Computer Science; Molecular track istry, Biology, Physics, and Engineering, on the led teams focus on macromolecular targets such as in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Physics collaborative research alliances we have made with proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and , • Teaching and research fellowships other institutions, and on our unique laboratory capa- with specific goals that include the following: bilities. As a multi-campus entity, we have sought to • Fellowships for underrepresented minorities become a cohesive group of researchers in an insti- • to identify and characterize new molecular targets UNDERGRADUATE tute that constitutes more than the sum of its parts. for drug design • to delineate disease-related macromolecular • Summer research experiences for undergradu- The MMA coordinates research investigations for signals of cellular metabolism ates both natural and engineered macromolecular assem- • Chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, • to understand protein-nucleic acid interactions in blies of biological and medical importance, integrates chemical engineering, biotechnology, pre-medi- animals, plants, and viruses graduate and undergraduate training in these areas cal, pre-pharmacy curricula across CUNY, and aims to expand both public and • to characterize the structure of macromolecular • Fellowships for underrepresented and economi- private support for these research endeavors. assemblies associated with microbial virulence cally disadvantaged students and cellular resistance to chemotherapy Faculty and staff affiliates are based at Brooklyn College, City College, College of Staten Island, • to design polymeric biomedical materials for OUTREACH ACTIVITIES Hunter College, The CUNY Graduate Center, metabolic sensing and drug delivery Lehman College, and York College. • to design self-assembled materials for light • Research-inspired K-12 Laboratory Curricula harvesting, imaging, and sensor applications The infrastructure of the MMA has been supported • Summer ‘Bridges to College’ Workshops • to identify natural polymer complexes that by New York State’s Generating Employment • Laboratory Visits and Open House presentations through New York Science (Gen*NY*sis) program, promote resistance of plants to microbial patho- • Research Internships and Networking Luncheon CUNY’s Office of Academic Affairs, The College of gens and other environmental stresses Staten Island, City College, and the National Science • to develop the technological infrastructure to Foundation (NSF). attain these goals INSTITUTIONAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MMA research efforts are funded by the NSF, the These research goals are pursued using three distinct National Institutes of Health, the Departments of but related strategies: discovery of structure-function • Research: grants, publications, seminars, Agriculture, Defense and Energy, private foun- relationships for molecular machines, simulation of symposia, focus groups, review panels dations, and infrastructural resources from the macromolecular structures, and bio-inspired design university. of functionally robust assemblies. • Education: curricula, workshops, technical training, recruitment • Technology: patents, licenses, industrial part- nerships • Jobs: R&D stimulation, new businesses, added employment opportunities.