Asst. Prof. Basak, Sandip
Assistant Chair (Safety)
Phone: (65) 6908 2204
Email: [email protected]
Personal Lab Webpage: www.sbasaklab.com
Dr. Sandip Basak’s research is dedicated to uncovering the structural and functional mechanisms of ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) through an integrative approach combining cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), electrophysiology, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. His lab investigates both prokaryotic and eukaryotic receptors, with a particular focus on understanding their molecular behavior within lipid environments. A key objective of his research is to address the challenges in resolving transient intermediate states by developing advanced cryo-EM data processing workflows. Additionally, his group studies the structural and functional dynamics of insect olfactory receptors, which serve as potential targets for novel repellents. Dr. Basak’s interdisciplinary work bridges biophysics, structural biology, and computational science to advance our understanding of ion channel function and therapeutic intervention.
Research Areas
Ligand gated ion channels, Membrane proteins, Olfactory receptors, Cryo-EM
PhD Student
PhD Student
Research Fellow
Senior Research Fellow
Research Associate
- Bharambe, N., Li, Z., Seiferth, D., Balakrishna, A.M., Biggin, P.C., and Basak, S. "Cryo-EM structures of prokaryotic ligand-gated ion channel GLIC provide insights into gating in a lipid environment." Nature Communications 15 (2024): 2967. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47370-w
- Basak, S., Gicheru, Y., Rao, S., Sansom, M., and Chakrapani, S. "Cryo-EM reveals two distinct states along serotonin-mediated activation pathway of the full-length 5-HT3A receptor." Nature 563 (2018): 270–274. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0660-7
- Basak, S., Gicheru, Y., Abhijeet, K., Mayer, M.L., Filizola, M., and Chakrapani, S. "Molecular mechanism of setron-mediated inhibition of full-length 5-HT3A receptor." Nature Communications 10 (2019): 3225. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11142-8
- Basak, S., Gicheru, Y., Samanta, A., Molugu, S., Huang, W., de la Fuente, M., Hughes, T., Taylor, D., Nieman, M., Moiseenkova-Bell, V.Y., and Chakrapani, S. "Cryo-EM structure of 5-HT3A receptor in its resting conformation." Nature Communications 9 (2018): 514. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-02997-4
- Basak, S., Schmandt, N., Gicheru, Y., and Chakrapani, S. "Crystal structure and dynamics of a lipid-induced potential desensitized-state of a pentameric ligand-gated channel." eLife 6 (2017): e23886. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23886