Dr. Sarah Shammas

Biography

Sarah Shammas is an academic at the University of Oxford specializing in Biochemistry. Her research focuses on the roles of protein intrinsic disorder in transcription and its implications for gene regulation. The team led by Dr. Shammas investigates the bZIP family of transcription factors, which play a pivotal role in controlling gene expression. The research particularly emphasizes the significance of disordered protein regions, revealing that a substantial proportion of eukaryotic proteins harbor long disordered segments that challenge the traditional structure-function paradigm in protein biochemistry. Dr. Shammas aims to develop strategies for combating diseases and designing effective artificial transcription factors by leveraging insights into the mechanisms and importance of intrinsic disorder in transcription factors. Her group employs a variety of cutting-edge techniques, including biophysical methods, kinetic studies, structural biology, and single-molecule imaging in living cells, to address fundamental questions about the functions of disordered proteins and their signaling mechanisms. For more information and research publications, visit the lab's website.

Research Interests