Dimitrios Kolokouris

I am a PhD researcher in the Newstead group at the Division of Medical Sciences at Oxford University. I study how cells absorb cationic amino acids. This type of acids lead to cancer and other diseases when out of tight control. As a structural biochemist i design experiments to study the mechanisms behind this tight control at a molecular level. Leveraging the burst in computational power available to 21st century scientists i simulate the phenomena i study to see biochemistry in action. Although exciting on its own, my research aims to uncover new opportunities for drugs, to benefit patient health.

My research is supported by the BBSRC and the Onassis Foundation.

I studied Pharmacy (M.Pharm) specialising in medicinal biochemistry and i am a board certified pharmacist by the Ministry of Health in Greece.

I am very enthusiastic with my work. I come from Greece, where i grew up and lived before moving to the UK. In my free time i enjoy relaxing with friends, exercising and travelling the greek islands.

                 

Transporters belonging to the Solute Carrier (SLC) family are integral membrane proteins that play essential roles in human physiology. They predominantly function to regulate the transport of small molecules into and out of cells. However, SLC families have been linked to intracellular signalling networks, particularly with respect to amino acid and nutrient sensing. We are interested in understanding the molecular basis for ligand recognition in the SLC transporters, how they couple transport to secondary ion gradients, their roles in drug transport and the mechanisms used to regulate their function in the cell.

We are a structural and biochemistry focused group, using a range of biophysical and biochemical methods. Our main techniques are protein crystallisation and single particle cryo-EM imaging. We also rely heavily on insights gained through detailed biochemical analysis of reconstituted protein and functional assays.

Several studies have identified cholesterol and phospholipid binding sites on transporters that likely play role in transition control. With a multiscale approach to Molecular Dynamics simulations and long-timescale simulations coupled with free energy calculations, such as PMF, can identify the relative importance of such interactions to inform functional mutations addressing transport mechanism and reveal possible mechanisms of lipid modulation.