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| Born Ufa, Russia, 1973. |
| Higher Chemical College of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, B.Sc., 1994. |
| University of Wisconsin, Madison, Ph.D., 1998. |
| Harvard University, Postdoctoral Fellow, 1998-2001. |
| University of Chicago, Assistant Professor 2001-2005. |
| University of Chicago, Associate Professor 2005-2007. |
| University of Chicago, Professor 2008-. |
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| Accolades |
| 2008 American Chemical Society Award in Pure Chemistry |
| 2007 Pioneer Award from the National Institute of Health |
| 2006 Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Sciences |
| 2006 Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry Award for Early Excellence in the Field of Physical Organic Chemistry |
| 2005 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award |
| 2005 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award |
| 2004 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers |
| 2004 Cottrell Scholar |
| 2004 Alfred P. Sloan Fellow |
| 2004 NSF CAREER Award |
| 2003 DuPont Young Professor |
| 2003 Beckman Young Investigator |
| 2003 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator |
| 2002 Searle Scholar Award |
| 2001 Research Corporation Research Innovation Award |
| 2001 Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award |
| 1998 Celanese Excellence Award for Outstanding Accomplishments |
| 1997-1998 Dow Chemical Fellowship |
| 1996 Norbert Barwasser Scholarship |
| 1993-1994 Presidential Fellow (Yeltsin, Russia) |
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| Rustem F. Ismagilov |
| Professor |
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 Postdoctoral Positions Available |
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| Research Interests |
| Our research goal is to understand chemical and biological complexity, both top down at the level of systems and bottom up at the level of molecular components. Using chemistry, biological systems respond and adapt to their environments, perform fascinating functions, and even think. We aim to know how networks of biochemical reactions can give rise to the amazing complexity seen in biological systems. In addition, we aim to use this knowledge to build networks of chemical reactions that can reproduce the functions of biological systems. |
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| To achieve this goal, we utilize a multidisciplinary approach. We combine concepts drawn from chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering with microfluidic technologies developed in the lab. In addition to helping us understand complexity, this approach advances the understanding of specific systems, including Drosophila development and blood coagulation. This approach also provides microfluidic tools that advance areas that can benefit from miniaturization, such as membrane protein crystallization and microscale organic reactions (see Publications). |
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| Our top-down investigations are aimed at analyzing complex networks as a whole, which provides a ‘systems’ view of a network and understanding of its overall function. We develop and utilize microfluidic technologies to control and analyze complex networks in both space and time, and to characterize their dynamics. We currently focus on the spatiotemporal dynamics of the robusteness of Drosophila embryonic development and the complex network of blood clotting (hemostasis). |
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| Our bottom-up investigations are aimed at characterizing the molecular components of these networks, which is crucial to the development of medical treatments. We develop and utilize microfluidic technologies to perform functional and structural studies of the biomolecules that compose these networks. For example, we use tiny droplets, femtoliters to nanoliters in volume, to enable microfluidic crystallization of membrane proteins and microgram organic reactions. |
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| Complexity and Embryonic Development |
 To study the robustness of the complex network controlling Drosophila embryonic development, we developed a microfluidic platform that exposed a developing Drosophila embryo to a temperature step, making one half of the embryo cold and the other half warm. We found that the rate of development in one half of the Drosophila embryo could be controlled relative to the other half, and, despite this perturbation, early development in wild-type embryos was robust and gave rise to normal patterning. We are currently using this novel platform to investigate possible functions of genes thought to be nonessential in Drosophila development. |
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| Elena M. Lucchetta, Ji Hwan Lee, Lydia A. Fu, Nipam H. Patel, and Rustem F. Ismagilov, "Dynamics of Drosophila Embryonic Patterning Network Perturbed in Space and Time with Microfluidics", Nature 2005 434: 1134-1138 |
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| Dynamics of the Complex Network of Blood Clotting |
 We have developed a modular model of hemostasis, the complex network of ~80 interacting reactions responsible for blood clotting. This model not only reproduces the overall dynamics of the hemostasis network, but also predicts the dynamics of initiation and propagation of blood clotting. Using this model, we predicted and experimentally measured threshold responses in both initiation and propagation of clotting. We have also demonstrated that initiation of clotting in human blood plasma depends on the spatial distribution, rather than the average concentration, of tissue factor (TF), an activator of clotting. These studies may point to new ways of predicting the dynamics of complex networks and may lead to new diagnostic and treatment methods for blood clotting. |
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| Christian J. Kastrup, Matthew K. Runyon, Feng Shen, and Rustem F. Ismagilov, "Modular chemical mechanism predicts spatiotemporal dynamics of initiation in the complex network of hemostasis", PNAS 2006 103:15747-15752 |
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| Microgram Organic Reactions and Reactions in Droplets |
 Microfluidic systems use networks of channels to manipulate small volumes of reagents, and they are becoming essential for chemical and biological analysis and synthesis. Microfluidics has the potential to be a great tool for studying complex chemical networks, but both time and space control is made difficult by slow mixing and high dispersion of reagents transported through microchannels. We are developing microfluidic networks that rely on pL-sized droplets to mix the reagents rapidly (less than 1 ms) and to transport them with no dispersion. These microfluidic networks use fluid flow to convert spatial evolution of chemical systems into temporal evolution (convert distance into time). To develop this technology, we go all the way from synthesizing new molecules to understanding the details of the physics of multiphase fluid flow. |
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| Takuji Hatakeyama, Delai L. Chen and Rustem F. Ismagilov, "Microgram-Scale Testing of Reaction Conditions in Solution Using Nanoliter Plugs in Microfluidics with Detection by MALDI-MS", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006 128: 2518-2519 |
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| Helen Song, Delai L. Chen, and Rustem F. Ismagilov, "Reactions in droplets in microfluidic channels", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006 45:7336-7356 |
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| Macromolecular Crystallization, including Membrane Proteins |
 Growing high-quality crystals of proteins is a crucial aspect of modern structural biology. Despite theoretical investigations into crystallization phenomena, crystallizations of structurally unresolved proteins are generally empirical processes. We have developed microfluidic technology to perform high-throughput crystallization of proteins, including intrinsically difficult to crystallize membrane proteins. Using this technology, crystallization can be performed on the nanoliter scale for pennies per trial, and crystal quality can be easily assessed by on-chip x-ray diffraction. This technology has the potential to help thousands of researchers in proteomics, and allow conceptually new and exciting experiments to be performed. |
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| Liang Li, Debarshi Mustafi, Qiang Fu, Valentina Tereshko, Delai L. Chen, Joshua D. Tice, and Rustem F. Ismagilov, "Nanoliter microfluidic hybrid method for simultaneous screening and optimization validated with crystallization of membrane proteins", PNAS 2006 103: 19243-19248 |
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| Some of our findings have been highlighted by news stories and feature articles, which can be found on our ‘In the News’ page. Some of these articles also explain our research to non-scientists. |
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Organic Chemistry 