The PROTON program successfully recruited, enrolled, and trained 15 PhD students, providing them with a comprehensive scientific and professional development experience.
The PROTON network's research dissemination was robust, with PhD students presenting their findings at 16 international conferences and workshops. A total of 35 publications have been produced so far, with 12 more in preparation. The ESRs published high-ranking journals, including renowned outlets such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and Angewandte Chemie.
ESR2, Stefania Brescia, resolved a debate about the mechanism of proton transfer in the HV1 channel, clarifying the essential role of intraluminal amino acid residues. Her work also sheds light on the origin of Hv1’s proton selectivity.
ESR3, Iga Jakóbowska, developed an FCCS-based assay to measure inhibitor binding in the PfFNT proton transporter, advancing studies of antimalarial targets.
ESR4, Seonwoo Lee, used high-throughput microscopy to study proton permeability in lipid membranes, offering insights into energy loss through unintended proton leakage.
ESR5, Anna Maznichenko, investigated the role of ordered water on interfacial proton transport and narrowed down the localisation of the proton release barrier.
ESR6, Nathan Hugo Epalle, engineered FNT mutants to assess proton and water transport, discovering selective water permeability, suggesting the potential for aquaporin mimics.
ESR7, Bhav Kapur, created assays for the proton-sensing receptor GPR68, revealing pH-sensitive structural changes that could aid in drug design.
ESR10, Bingxin Chu, studied size-dependent effects in second harmonic scattering for nanoparticles, thus characterising the hydration shell of nanoparticles.
ESR11, Satyaranjan Bharambar Biswal, modeled proton conduction in collagen, highlighting unique hydration layers that guide proton diffusion.
ESR12, Iuliana-Marilena Andrei, and ESR17, Paras Raju Wanjari, developed pillar[5]arene-based synthetic proton channels, achieving selective ion transport.
ESR13, Alejandro Martínez León, used Cryo-EM models to study PfFNT’s structure, identifying potential inhibitors for antimalarial drug development.
ESR14, Abhinav Abhinav, and ESR18, Isabel Králová, studied the pH-gated conformational changes of HpUreI, an essential bacterial protein.
ESR15/19, Honey Jane, explored how lipid composition affects proton transfer on membranes, showing acidic lipids enhance this process near proton channels.
ESR16/20, Giorgia Roticiani, investigated proton transport in mitochondrial proteins, revealing mechanisms critical to cellular energy regulation.
