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Dr.
Hassan Khachfe earned a B.S. degree in Physics from the American University, an
M.S. in Polymer Physics from Wichita State University, and a Ph.D. in
Biophysics from Boston University. Dr. Khachfe worked as a research fellow
at the Northeastern University and the Center for Advanced Biomedical
Research in Boston, before he was recruited to join the AUB medical
facultyHis interests include the structural determination and
characterization of macromolecular assemblies using biophysical and
computational techniques. Dr. Khachfe's projects focus on the molecular
details of the structure, stability and dynamic properties of the plasma
apolipoproteins, particularly Apo B100 of the low density lipoprotein (LDL).
This information is vital to an understanding of lipid interactions,
lipoprotein cell surface interactions, receptor-mediated lipoprotein uptake,
and lipoprotein inter-conversions that form the basis of lipid transport and
metabolism. A detailed understanding of apolipoprotein structural stability
and adaptability is vital to further progress in understanding lipoprotein
structure and function. The precise molecular mechanisms of this unique
structural adaptability remain unclear. They are the focus of a major
component of Dr. Khachfe's research, and are being investigated using
biophysical techniques as well as computational approaches. The latter
employs some state-of-the-art computer hardware and software housed by the
Bioinformatics and Computational Sciences Unit. |
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