Jodi Hadden-Perilla (University of Delaware)
Date: Thu. April 2nd, 2026, 4:00 pm-5:00 pmLocation: Rockefeller 301
Icosahedral virus capsids through the computational microscope
At the technological interface of chemistry, physics, biology, and computing, there exists the only scientific instrument capable of characterizing the conformational dynamics of macromolecules, and the functional properties they give rise to, at atomistic resolution. The computational microscope, realized through the application of supercomputers to perform all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, has emerged as a powerful tool to investigate the complex cellular machinery that supports life, as well as the pathogenic systems that threaten it. The Hadden Lab at University of Delaware uses the computational microscope to study biological machines, particularly the capsids of icosahedral viruses. Professor Hadden-Perilla will discuss her group’s progress toward elucidating the mechanisms by which the hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid carries out its functions during infection. Notably, the computational microscope has enabled discovery of new conformations, never isolated by experimental methods, that provide key insights into the capsid’s regulatory role in assembly, pre-genome packaging, and intracellular trafficking.