Davinder Dhalla (PhD candidate)

Davinder Dhalla is a PhD candidate at the University of Lethbridge. Her work involves Computational Biology and Protein Engineering. Her research proposes that the link between protein structure and function is the dynamics (or motions).

Molecular dynamic simulations is a complex yet valuable computational technique which permits the exploration of the dynamics of biological macromolecules in atomistic detail over time. This image shows the different steps involved in performing a molecular dynamic simulation. The starting point is the structural data of macromolecules (proteins or nucleic acids) which is taken through a series of steps such as charge neutralization, solvation, energy minimization, production to finally yield trajectories which are analyzed to understand the biomolecular system dynamics over time.

What is your research about?

My research operates at the intersection of Computational Biology and Protein Engineering.

Most commonly used protein engineering approaches involve tweaking the structure of the proteins to achieve desired function, which might not work all the time. My thesis proposes that the link between protein structure and function is the dynamics (or motions). If you can preserve the dynamics even after tweaking the structure, the chances of designing a functionally active protein are higher. To study protein dynamics, I utilize the state-of-the-art computational biology technique called molecular dynamics simulation which mimics the biological environment of the proteins and help us to understand how they fold, move and function. Studying protein dynamics not only helps us to understand the modus operandi of existing proteins, but also provides us with details that can be used to design synthetic proteins with desired functions that can be utilized in the pharmaceutical and medicinal sector.

What made you go into industry or academia? How did you get involved with your current research?

Since my high school days, Biology has been my favorite subject. I was pursuing my Undergraduate degree in Biotechnology when I developed an interest in academia. I moved on to do my Masters degree in Bioinformatics where I learned how to apply a purely computational skill such as coding for the mining and analysis of biological data. Following that I got a chance to work in the drug design industry for six months, when I perceived my inclination towards research and started looking for PhD opportunities right after. Of the many options, I found Dr. H.-J. Wieden's work particularly interesting, especially Structural Biology and Protein Engineering, which perfectly aligned with my previous experience. I am currently in my third year of PhD in the Wieden lab and I have learned a lot of new computational and experimental techniques and I'm making exciting progress in my project that focuses on protein engineering.

What excites you about your work?

In short, everything! As I have been doing a lot of biological data mining work since my masters degree, I got the chance to observe the trends and patterns followed by nature for the evolution of life (specifically proteins) on Earth. It's fascinating to know that nature has so much to offer, not only materialistically but also in terms of biomolecular design principles and rules. All we need to do is to observe and utilize, which is exactly what I am pursuing during my PhD degree.

What are the impacts of your work?

I investigate the design principles that have been followed by nature over billions of years to give rise to the protein structure and function we see today. Once identified, these design principles would play a major role in making the long awaited "designer protein world" a reality where you could custom design proteins for any desired function in the least amount of time and high success rates.

What is a fun fact about yourself?

I have a strong interest in Astronomy and I follow all NASA and ISRO missions very closely. Had I not been in the field of Biochemistry, I probably would have been pursuing Astrobiology. I have recently developed interest in arts&craft and gardening, which preserved my sanity during the COVID-19 lock-down. During vacations, I love engaging in nature activities like hiking, star-gazing, camping, etc., to de-stress and re-charge.