Researchers in the group of Professor David Thomas (BMBB; MSI Fellow) study muscle proteins. The goal is to understand the fundamental molecular interactions responsible for muscle contraction or cellular movement, to determine the molecular bases of muscle disorders, and to apply the insights gained into therapeutic design. At the 2011 MSI Research Exhibition, Dr. Bengt Svensson was a finalist with his poster concerning investigations into the calcium pump in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane (SERCA) and phospholamban, its regulatory partner in the heart (see image). An article about this research appears in the Fall 2011 MSI Research Bulletin.