Sarkar Research Lab and Clinical Team

Dr. Sarkar and his nanotechnology laboratory team study the relationship between single-molecule mechanics and disease states, particularly Parkinson’s disease and glioblastoma multiforme tumors. Both projects rely on atomic force microscopy (AFM), a useful tool for measuring forces at the single molecule scale. Parkinson’s is a disorder of the motor system. The root of Parkinson’s is the formation and aggregation of fibers in certain neurons in the brain which consist of the protein alpha-synuclein. Understanding the single-molecule mechanics for the alpha-synuclein protein will shed light on the protein’s stability and ways to prevent fiber formation, guiding the design of novel molecular therapeutics. Glioblastoma multiforme tumors arise from astrocytes in the brain, and are among the most aggressive tumors found in humans with a median survival of only 15 months after diagnosis 1. Each cell possesses a cytoskeleton, which is a filamentous system of “ropes, cables and poles” that provides rigidity and structure to the cell, and determines its mechanical properties and motility. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is an important and abundant element of the cytoskeleton in the malignant astrocytes of these tumors. AFM data from experiments with single molecules of GFAP can be tailored into a model for the role of force in the invasiveness of glioblastoma multiforme. The AFM can also be used to study whole tumor cells from glioblastomas. We hope to determine clinically relevant correlations between cell stiffness/elasticity and “aggressive” behavior.