Jeffery G. Saven

Associate Professor of Chemistry
Biological and Theoretical Physical Chemistry

Office: 266 Cret
Lab: 261 Cret
Phone: 215-573-6062
Fax: 215-573-2112
Email: savensasupennedu
Research Group Website: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~saven

Jump to: Research Statement | Education and Academic History | Selected Publications | Educational Interests


Computationally designed protein complex containing a nonbiological cofactor, designed and studied in collaboration with the DeGrado and Therien groups in the Department of Chemistry. On the left is the computationally designed protein scaffold (magenta) and two abiotic porphyrin cofactors (yellow). On the right is a model of the computationally designed sequence and structure.

Research Statement
Our research interests involve theoretical chemistry, particularly as it applies to biopolymers, macromolecules, condensed phases, and disordered systems. We are developing computational methods for understanding and designing molecular sytems having many physical and chemical degrees of freedom. Molecular simulation techniques are used both to study molecular systems in detail and to test and illustrate our theories.

A current thrust of the group involves developing computational tools for understanding the properties of protein sequences consistent with a chosen three-dimensional structure. The group works closely with experimental groups at Penn and at other universities; some group members are involved in joint theoretical/experimental projects. Recent projects involve the design of soluble and membrane bound proteins, discerning the origins of conservation in naturally occurring proteins, biomolecular simulation, and the design of nonbiological folding molecules.

Education and Academic History

Selected Publications
Tanxing Cui, David Mowrey, Jose Manuel Perez-Aguilar, Jing He, Wei Wang, Jeffery G. Saven, Roderic Eckenhoff, Pei Tang, Yan Xu. NMR Structure and Dynamics of a Designed Water-Soluble Transmembrane Domain of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 2012. 1818: 617-626.

William Hiesinger, Jose Manuel Perez-Aguilar, Pavan Atluri, Nicole A. Marotta, John R. Frederick, J. Raymond Fitzpatrick III, Ryan C. McCormick, Jeffrey R. Muenzer, Elaine C. Yang, Rebecca D. Levit, Li-Jun Yuan, John W. MacArthur, Jeffery G. Saven, Y. Joseph Woo. Computational Protein Design to Reengineer Stromal Cell–Derived Factor-1α Generates an Effective and Translatable Angiogenic Polypeptide Analog. Circulation, 2011. 124: S18-S26.

Tom J. Petty, Soheila Emamzadah, Lorenzo Costantino, Irina Petkova, Elena S. Stavridi, Jeffery G. Saven, Eric Vauthey and Thanos D. Halazonetis, Induced fit dissociates p53 DNA binding off-rates from affinities, facilitating recognition of specific DNA sequences. The EMBO Journal, 2011. 30: 2167-2176.

J. G. Saven, Computational protein design: engineering molecular diversity, nonnatural enzymes, nonbiological cofactor complexes, and membrane proteins. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 2011. 15: 452-457.

Ilan Samish, Christopher M. MacDermaid, Jose Manuel Perez-Aguilar and Jeffery G. Saven, Theoretical and Computational Protein Design, Annual Reviews of Physical Chemistry, 2011. 62: 129-149.

H. Christopher Fry, Andreas Lehmann, Jeffrey G. Saven, William F. DeGrado, Michael J. Therien, Design and Elaboration of a Photo-Activatable De Novo Protein: A Heterotetrameric a-Helical Bundle that Selectively Binds an Abiological Porphinato(zinc) Chromophore. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2010. 132: 3997-4005.

J. Tang, S.-G. Kang, J. G. Saven and F. Gai. Characterization of Cofactor-Induced Folding Mechanism of a Zinc Binding Peptide Using Computationally Designed Mutants. Journal of Molecular Biology, 2009. 389: 90-102.

Youn K. Kang, One-Sun Lee, Pravas Deria, Sang Hoon Kim, Tae-Hong Park, Dawn A. Bonnell, Jeffery G. Saven and Michael J. Therien. Helical Wrapping of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Water Soluble, Rigid Rod-like Poly(p-phenyleneethynylene). Nano Letters, 2009. 9: 1414-1418.

C. A. Butts, J. Swift, S.-G. Kang, L. Di Costanzo, D. W. Christianson, J. G. Saven, and I. J. Dmochowski. Directing Noble Metal Ion Chemistry within a Designed Ferritin Protein. Biochemistry, 2008. 47: 12729-12739.

Educational Interests
Statistical Mechanics I (CHEM 521)
Statistical Mechanics II (CHEM 522)
Quantum Chemistry I (CHEM 523)
Biological Chemistry (CHEM 251)
Physical Chemistry I (CHEM 221)
Physical Chemistry II (CHEM 222)