Theme 1: Next-Generation Detergents for Membrane Protein Extraction & Stabilization

Designing fluorinated, sugar-based, cholesterol-derived or topologically engineered amphiphiles to tackle the toughest membrane protein challenges.

The laboratory has become a recognized expert in the rational design of innovative detergents with tunable HLB, polar headgroup topology, fluorination patterns, linker engineering and controlled rigidity. These finely tuned amphiphiles show how subtle structural modifications influence key physicochemical properties and, in turn, govern extraction efficiency, protein stability, and the size and homogeneity of protein–detergent complexes (PDCs).

By establishing systematic structure–property relationships, our team develops high-performance detergents that outperform conventional surfactants and significantly expand the molecular toolbox available for membrane protein structural biology.

Associated publications

• Impact of Fluorination on Membrane-Protein Stabilization and Extraction by Lactobionamide Detergents. ChemPlusChem 2025. (DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202400740)
• Rigid Cyclic Fluorinated Detergents: Fine-Tuning the HLB Controls Self-Assembling and Biochemical Properties. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2024. (DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c03359)
• Zwitterionic Fluorinated Detergents: From Design to Membrane Protein Applications. Biochimie 2023. (DOI : 10.1016/j.biochi.2022.12.003)
• Non-ionic Cholesterol-Based Additives for the Stabilization of Membrane Proteins. Biochimie 2023.
• Glycosylated Amphiphilic Calixarene Detergent for Functional Stabilization of Native Membrane Proteins. ChemistrySelect 2019. (DOI: 10.1002/slct.201901220)
• Hydrogenated Diglucose Detergents for Membrane-Protein Extraction and Stabilization. Langmuir 2019. (DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b02842)
• Fluorinated Diglucose Detergents for Membrane-Protein Extraction. Methods 2018. (DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2018.05.025)