InFocus – TIFRH Newsletter

Back to the roots, a TIFR Hyderabad initiative

Tracing Infantile Cataracts

Khandekar Jishan Bari and K.V.R Chary Infantile cataracts are a root cause of blindness in children. When a cataract develops in the eye, the lens slowly becomes opaque. A mutant form of Gamma S-crystallin, a protein abundant in the eye lens cortex, is associated with this form of cataract. A study, led by Prof.K.V.R. Chary, … Continue reading “Tracing Infantile Cataracts”

Signals in Fly Development

Nikhita Pasnuri and Aprotim Mazumder Cells communicate using convoluted chemical signals. Given the limited number of proteins, how does a cell assess the input message and act accordingly? One plausible approach could be by applying different strengths of the same input. Using Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit-fly, as a model system, a method was adapted and … Continue reading “Signals in Fly Development”

Magnifying Magnetic Resonance

G. Rajalakshmi NMR signals detect the effective spin polarisation of the sample in the direction of the applied magnetic field. The polarisation of the sample depends on the difference in the number of nuclear spins that are aligned along and opposite to the fields. Even at the largest magnetic fields used for NMR experiments, this … Continue reading “Magnifying Magnetic Resonance”

Ligand-Binding Mechanisms

Navjeet Ahalawat, Jagannath Mondal , and Pramodh Vallurupalli The process of Ligand-binding to solvent inaccessible cavities in receptor proteins has been rather elusive. A study, led by Dr. Jagannath Mondal and Dr. Pramodh Vallurupalli, tried to gain mechanistic insight into the different pathways by which benzene, a ligand, can find its way into a deep-seated … Continue reading “Ligand-Binding Mechanisms”