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
McAllister, Karen; Zou, Hongling; Cochran, Frank; Bender, Gretchen; Senes, Alessandro; Fry, H.; Nanda, Vikas; Keenan, Patricia; Lear, James; Saven, Jeffery; Therien, Michael; Blasie, J. Kent; DeGrado, William. Using alpha-Helical Coiled-Coils to Design Nanostructured Metalloporphyrin Arrays. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2008. 130: 11921-11927.

Gretchen M. Bender, Andreas Lehmann, Hongling Zou, Hong Cheng, H. Christopher Fry, Don Engel, Michael J. Therien, J. Kent Blasie, Heinrich Roder, Jeffrey G. Saven, and William F. DeGrado, De Novo Design of a Single Chain Diphenylporphyrin Metalloprotein. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2007. 129: 10732-10740.

Seung-Gu Kang and Jeffery G. Saven, Computational protein design: structure, function and combinatorial diversity. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 2007. 11: 329-334.

B. North, L. Cristian, X. Fu Stowell, J. D. Lear, J. G. Saven, W. F. DeGrado, Characterization of a Membrane Protein Folding Motif, the Ser Zipper, Using Designed Peptides. Journal of Molecular Biology, 2006. 359: 930-939.

J. Swift, W. A. Wehbi, B. D. Kelly, X. Fu Stowell, J. G. Saven, and I. J. Dmochowski, Design of Functional Ferritin-like Proteins with Hydrophobic Cavities. The Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2006. 128: 6611-6619.

F. V. Cochran, S. P. Wu, W. Wang, V. Nanda, J. G. Saven, M. J. Therien, W. F. DeGrado, Computational de novo design and characterization of a four-helix bundle protein that selectively binds a non-biological cofactor. The Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2005. 127: 1346–1347.

Y. Zhu, X. Fu, T. Wang, A. Tamura, S. Takada, J. G. Saven, and F. Gai, Guiding the search for a protein’s maximum rate of folding, Chemical Physics, 2004. 307: 99-109.

A. Slovic, H. Kono, J. Lear, J. G. Saven, and W. F. DeGrado, Computational design and characterization of water-soluble analogues of the potassium channel KcsA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2004. 101: 1828-1833.

J. R. Calhoun, H. Kono, S. Lahr, W. Wang, and W. F. DeGrado, and J. G. Saven, Computational design and characterization of a monomeric helical dinuclear metalloprotein. The Journal of Molecular Biology, 2003. 334: 1101-1115.

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)