Ray Blind, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Medicine, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology
Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Director, Quantitative & Chemical Biology Ph.D. Program
Director, VICC VOICES Program
- : ray.blind@vumc.org
- :
8405 MRB IV
2213 Garland Ave
Nashville, Tennessee - 37232 - : More Information/Publications
The Blind Lab is interested in uncovering the molecular design principles of life. To this end, we are focused on exploring the structure, function and signaling properties of non-membrane nuclear lipids. We use discovery biochemistry, genomics, enzymology and structural biology to determine what role these small signaling molecules play in the nucleus of every eukaryotic cell.
The non-membrane nuclei of all living things examined to date contain pools of phospholipids that do not exist in a membrane structure, but are complexed to soluble proteins. We uncovered a way these poorly studied protein/lipid complexes are regulated: lipid kinases and phosphatases remodel lipids while they are bound to non-membrane proteins, with very unique kinetic properties. This discovery provides a molecular framework explaining how lipid signaling in the nucleus works.
Future research in our group will (1) Determine how these protein/lipid/protein interfaces are structured, (2) What role lipids and their signaling enzymes play in chromatin biology, and (3) Develop novel compounds targeting nuclear signaling enzymes in cancer and diabetes.