We are a theoretical biological physics research group, focusing on the dynamics of large-scale molecular assemblies, such as the ribosome, viral capsids and the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Through the development and use of a variety of models, we are working to identify the physical principles that guide biomolecular dynamics. We are also interested in using molecular simulation approaches to interpret experimental data from a wide range of techniques, including biochemical, small-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic electron microscopy. With the interdisciplinary nature of this research, we work closely with chemists, biologists, engineers, computational scientists and medical researchers, in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding that spans from the basic sciences to medical applications. In addition, we are fortunate to be located in the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics (CTBP) and to have a vibrant community of biological physics researchers at Northeastern University.
News
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May 20, 2024
Congrats to Asem Hassan for his co-first-author paper on the mitochondrial ribosome! In this study, we reported the first simulations of a large-scale conformational motion in a mitoribosome. The results appeared in Nature Communications.
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May 15, 2024
Welcome to the new Whitford Group page! Due to a system upgrade, we had to rapidly manually migrate to this new format. The page should have all of the same information, but it might take a while to iron out all of the kinks.
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May 01, 2024
A big thanks to the NIH for awarding us with a 5-year MIRA (R35) grant for our computational and theoretical studies of bacterial and eukaryotic ribosomes!
Research
People
Principal Investigator
Paul Whitford
Graduate Students
Sandra Byju
George Wanes
