Louis Sullivan (1896)
Louis Sullivan was an architect from the Prarie school of architecture and is widely considered to be one of the forefathers of the modern skyscraper. Taking leads from nature, his work typically incorporated organic details that were integral to the building itself, a classic example being the Guaranty building. His ideas were taken up by his student - Frank Lloyd Wright - who coined the term "Form is function". One of the more famous examples of FLW's work is Fallingwater, a private residence which encompasses designs that are aesthetic yet functional.
In nature, we observe a multitude of examples of this 'form is function' sentiment.
From the problem of protein folding to the development of embryos, basic mechanisms underlying the generation of form (morphogenesis) still remain unresolved. Furthermore, for many biological processes the role played by organisational / architectural properties are yet to be elucidated. In our lab we are developing new tools and databases aimed at understanding the generation and influence of biological structures. One of our main interests is the study of cellular and extra-cellular networks of structural proteins including elastin. Despite decades of study, the role of network connectivity and organisation in the biomechanical properties of structural protein networks still remain poorly understood. Furthermore, while we have witnessed the growth in databases concerned with metabolic proteins, kinases or other signalling elements, very little attention has been devoted to structural proteins. In collaboration with Dr Fred Keeley and Dr Regis Pomes, we are currently studying the role of elastin sequence on its ability to perform its physiological functions.
Other activities
Elastin - <4David>
Evolution of the ECM - <4Graham>
