Membrane Attack Complex / Perforin like proteins in Defence, Attack and Developmental Biology

This project aims to build a research program focusing on the structure and functional diversity of the largest family of pore forming molecules in eukaryote organisms, the Membrane Attack Complex / Perforin (MACPF) superfamily. These molecules perform fundamental roles in immunity, pathogenesis and developmental biology. The work will include structural and functional characterisation of novel MACPF proteins and the use of model systems to understand the role of the MACPF domain in embryonic patterning and neural development.