Weiming Xu, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Chemistry from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.

My research focus is to further understand the underlying mechanism of SNARE mediated membrane fusion process. By using the established reconstituted systems, such as the liposome-liposome fusion and the liposome-supported planar bilayer fusion assay, as well as the still developing systems, such as the liposome-supported liposome and the oil droplet-droplet fusion assay, we are trying to answer the questions that how many pairs of SNARE protein are required in a membrane fusion process, and how the other regulatory proteins, such as Munc18, function during this process. The techniques I am applying include the Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRF), Confocal Microscopy, and Micromanipulation techniques etc.