Virus and cell surface glycans interactions, physical mechanisms, biophysics
Fouzia’s current research focuses on elucidating the role of cell surface carbohydrates, also known as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), in virus entry. Sulphated GAGs such as heparan sulphate are highly negatively charged oligosaccharides that play a critical role in modulating the kinetics (attachment/detachment) and diffusion behaviours of many viruses including human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and adenoviruses at the cell surface. Using a cell-surface mimic platform in combination with single-molecule techniques such as single particle tracking by total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) based single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), Fouzia is researching two major questions: (1) which factors regulate virus-GAG interactions and (2) what is the role of multivalency in virus-GAGs interactions?
Considering her passion for AFM imaging over the years of her research career, Fouzia was/is also involved in various projects to understand how biomolecules assemble on surfaces.
