Stockholm university

Research group David Drew's research group

The Drew group investigates the alternating-access mechanism of solute transporters for sugars and ions. These transporters are critical to cell homeostasis and their dysfunction is associated with human diseases, such as cancer and diabetes.

Group description

Structure and mechanism of solute carrier transporters

Solute carrier transporters (SLCs) transporters are the targets for many therapeutics and they often play a major role in drug pharmacokinetics. Understanding the mechanisms by which SLC transporters shuttle and move ions, drugs, and natural compounds across membranes is of fundamental importance. Because of the technical difficulties in working with membrane proteins our mechanistic understanding is very limited. The goal of my research is to investigate the alternating-access mechanism of solute transporters for sugars and ions, which are critical to cell homeostasis and their dysfunction is associated with human diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. To achieve this we combine crystal and cryo EM structures with biochemical and biophysical techniques. These goals are facilitated by the development of novel methods to aid functional and structural investigation of SLC transporters.

Popular descriptions of our work on transporters 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwW86e3tFv4

https://www.svd.se/genombrott-kan-leda-till-ny-malariamedicin

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00148-8

Group members

Group managers

David Drew

Professor of Biochemistry

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
David Drew

Members

Jianan Chen

Postdoc

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Jakob Silberberg

Postdoc

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Kiley Ann Ritter

Student

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Robin Anthonipillai

Student

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Hang Li

Postdoc

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Marta Bonaccorsi

Researcher

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Magnus Claesson

Lab Manager

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Magnus Claesson

Ashutosh Gulati

Postdoc

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Ashutosh Gulati

Sukkyeong Jung

PhD student

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Sukkyeong Jung

Ved Mehta

Postdoc

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Surabhi Rajendra Kokane

PhD student

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Surabhi

Tom Reichenbach

Researcher

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Albert Suades

Researcher

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Albert Suades

Research projects

News