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DischerLab

PEOPLE

Bohdana Discher

Bohdana Discher, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics

901C Stellar-Chance Labs
422 Curie Blvd.
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-898-0816
bohdana@mail.med.upenn.edu

Ph.D. Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR (1998)

LECTURES BY INVITATION (last 5 years)

2014

June "Design and assembly of single chain amphiphilic proteins for light-activated electron transfer across membranes", Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center Annual Meeting, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

April "Amphiphillic maquettes and their applications", 2014 Johnson Foundation Britton Chance Research Discussions, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania

March "Protein Design for Control of Redox-Dependent Biological Functions", Nano/Bio Interface Center (NBIC), University of Pennsylvania

2013

July "Design and assembly of a single chain amphiphilic protein for membrane insertion and electron transfer", Snowmass Summer Biophysics Workshop on Biological Membranes and Membrane Proteins: Challenges for Theory and Experiment, Snowmass, Colorado

February "Translating signaling pathways of G-protein coupled receptors into electronic read-out with nanoscale field effect transistors". NIH, Rockville, MD.

2012

October "Long but exciting journey of protein design for nanotechnology
application", National Chemistry Week Guest Lecture at Alvernia University, Reading, PA

July "Assembly and Characterization of Light-Harvesting Protein Maquettes on Surfaces", Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

May "Designing and interfacing proteins with electronic devices", Nano/Bio Interface Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

April "Engineering Electron Transferring Proteins and Protein Assembly at Electronic Interfaces", Widener University, Chester, PA

2011

October "Testing functions of natural and synthetic proteins at electronic interfaces", Department of Materials Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

September "Interfacing natural and artificial proteins with electronic devices", Department of Chemistry, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA

June "Protein functions at electronic interfaces", Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA

May "Protein functions at electronic interfaces", Medical school of Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic

February "Converting Signalling Pathway of Olfactory Receptor Proteins Into Electronic Read Out", Biophysical Society 55th Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD

ACADEMIC AND INSTITUTIONAL COMMITTEES

2013- Present, Expanded Admissions Committee for Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group

2013 - Present, Joshua Mancini’s thesis committee member, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, PSOM, University of Pennsylvania

2013, Benjamin Walters’ thesis defense committee member, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, PSOM, University of Pennsylvania

2013, Mitchell B. Lerner’s thesis defense committee member, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

2012, Geronda L. Montalvo’s thesis defense committee member, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, PSOM, University of Pennsylvania

2011 - 2014, Xi Chen’s thesis committee member, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania

2011, Ye Lu's thesis defense committee member, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences

2010, Kendra Kathan-Galipeau's thesis defense committee member, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science

2009, Joseph M. Kielec' thesis defense committee member, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine

2008 Maxim P. Nikiforov's thesis defense committee member, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science

2008 - 2012, Veronica R. Moorman's thesis committee member, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine

PATENTS

Johnson, A. T. C., Lu, Y., Mitala, J. J., and Discher, B. M. Graphene-Biomolecule Bioelectronic Devices. US Patent Number WO2013085715 A1 (2013)

Johnson, A. T. C., Goldsmith, B. R., Mitala, J. J., and Discher, B. M. Biomimetic Chemical Sensors Using Nanoelectronic Readout Of Olfactory Receptors. US Patent Number WO2012050646 A9 (2012)

Discher, D. E., Discher, B. M., Won, Y.-Y., Lee, J. C.-M., Hammer, D. A., and Bates, F. S. Semi-permeable, thin-walled, synthetic, super-amphiphilic block polymers that have a molecular weight of >1400 and self-assemble to vesicles without need for post-assembly polymerization or crosslinking. US Patent Number US7867512 B2 (2011)

Discher, D. E., Discher, B. M., Won, Y.-Y., Lee, J. C.-M., Hammer, D. A., and Bates, F. S. Polymersomes and related encapsulating membranes. US Patent Number US20070218123 A1 (2007)

Discher, D. E., Discher, B. M., Won, Y.-Y., Lee, J. C.-M., Bates, F. S., and Hammer, D. A. Polymersomes and related encapsulating membranes. US Patent Number US20050048110 A1 (2005)

ORGANIZING ROLES IN SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

April 2015
Material Research Society Symposium Organizer on Biohybrid Solar Cells: Photosynthesis-based photovoltaics and photocatalytic solar cells. Co-organizers: Raoul Frese, Netherlands; Jose Antonio Garrido, Germany; and Yutaka Amao, Japan. San Francisco, California

April 2014
2014 Johnson Foundation Britton Chance Research Discussions: "Man-made Maquette-Tetrapyrrole Ensembles for Artificial Photosynthesis"
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania

September 2012
Friday Research Discussions. Planning committee member. Philadelphia, PA

February 2011
55th Annual Meeting of Biophysical Society, chair of a session. Baltimore, MD

June 2008
82nd ACS Colloid & Surface Science Symposium, organizer of the "Self-Assembly of Surfactants and Biomolecules" session. Raleigh, NC