Dr. Daniel Forciniti is a Professor in the department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of the South, Argentina and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University.

Dr. Forciniti's research statement: Peptide and proteins at interfaces: The main focus of our current research efforts in this area is the study of peptides at solid/liquid interfaces.  Both experimental and theoretical approaches are pursed in our group.  The use of dynamic and static light scattering for the study of proteins and tailored peptides in solution is routine in our laboratory.  This work is supplemented by neutron diffraction and neutron reflectivity studies performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  The experimental work is supported (and interpreted) by using atomic level molecular simulations.  We are currently focusing our efforts on the study of surface-induced polypeptide aggregation.  This work is aimed at the understanding of the formation of amyloid deposits.

Purification of biomacromolecules:  The focus of our current research in this area is the study of the effect of glycosylation on the stability of monoclonal antibodies and other proteins.  A key component of our work is the experimental determination of second virial coefficients and their interpretations using statistical thermodynamics to quantify the effect of glycan groups on the potential of mean force of biomacromolecules.

Bio-X Researcher