Fall 2012 winner of the COMP Graduate Student and Post Doc Image Competition

About the cover image. The image is a snapshot from a molecular dynamics simulation for the study of lysozyme (PDB ID: 1gxv) proteins adsorption on high-density polyethylene material surface. We compare our simulation results with those obtained by our experimental group in order to tune and validate current CHARMM force field for the accurate representation of protein adsorption behavior. Understanding of molecular-level details accompanying protein adsorption is fundamental in many applications ranging from the design of biocompatible surface chemistry of implant materials in the biomedical engineering field, to the design of effective decontamination strategies in the area of biodefense. The image was generated using CHARMM molecular dynamics software package and Chimera software. The project is funded by DTRA.

About the cover image artist, Tigran Abramyan. Tigran earned a MPharm from First Moscow State Medical University in 2007 and later a MS in Drug Discovery (Pharmaceutics & Biochemistry) from University College London’s School of Pharmacy in 2009. Tigran is pursuing his PhD at Clemson University’s Department of Bioengineering in the laboratory of Professor Robert A. Latour. His PhD research is focused on the "Computational study of molecular mechanisms mediating protein adsorption, desorption and decontamination on environmental material surfaces." Connect with Tigran on LinkedIn (direct link to his public LinkedIn page).