Klaus Hahn PhD

Klaus Hahn, Ph.D. is the Thurman Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and is a professor in the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry. He is also the director of the UNC-Olympus Imaging Center. Hahn’s research focuses on two synergistic areas: the development of novel molecules to visualize and control protein activity in living cells, and the application of these tools to address basic questions re spatio-temporal control of signaling. His lab’s biological studies focus on the role of cytoskeletal and adhesion dynamics in signaling crosstalk, directed motility and immune cell function. His lab is also working on extending their cell biology studies to examine immune cell function in 3-D models and in vivo.

While addressing specific molecules for biological studies, his lab has produced generally applicable approaches to visualize and control signaling. These include new fluorescent biosensor designs that quantify conformational changes of endogenous proteins and biosensors based on engineered protein scaffolds for otherwise inaccessible molecules. The the lab is developing fluorescent dyes for single-molecule microscopy of protein conformational changes in vivo. The lab is also developing engineered domains that can be inserted into target proteins to control protein function using either light or small molecules. Other new methods selectively activate specific protein behaviors.