Research Interests

My research focuses on the development of chemical tools and bioactive molecules to study protein–lipid interactions at biological membranes. We design and synthesize lipid-based probes, fluorescent amino acids, peptides, and peptidomimetics to investigate membrane-associated processes, including proteolysis at membrane interfaces. These studies are applied to understanding mechanisms relevant to neuroscience and cancer, with the long-term goal of enabling new therapeutic strategies.

Recent Publications 

• Alamgir S, Pelletier OB, Thomas D, Rubio V, Stawikowski MJ, Zhang Q. Measuring Membrane Lipid Turnover with the pH-sensitive Fluorescent Lipid Analog ND6. J Vis Exp. 2021 Jul 29;(173). doi: 10.3791/62717. PMID: 34398155.
• Thomas D, Rubio V, Iragavarapu V, Guzman E, Pelletier OB, Alamgir S, Zhang Q, Stawikowski MJ. Solvatochromic and pH-Sensitive Fluorescent Membrane Probes for Imaging of Live Cells. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2021 Feb 17;12(4):719-734. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00732
• Rubio V., Iragavarapu V.,  Stawikowski M.J. Synthesis and Characterization of ROSA Dye - A Rhodamine B-type Fluorophore, Suitable for Bioconjugation and Fluorescence Studies in Live Cells.  Protein Pept Lett. 2019;26(10):758-767.
• Cudic, P., N. Joshi, D. Sagher, B. T. Williams,  M. J. Stawikowski  and H. Weissbach (2016). "Identification of activators of methionine sulfoxide reductases A and B." Biochem Biophys Res Commun 469(4): 863-867.
• Fields, G. B. and  M. J. Stawikowski  (2016). "Imaging Matrix Metalloproteinase Activity Implicated in Breast Cancer Progression." Methods Mol Biol 1406: 303-329.
• Stawikowski, M. J., R. Stawikowska and G. B. Fields (2015). Collagenolytic Matrix Metalloproteinase Activities toward Peptomeric Triple-Helical Substrates.  Biochemistry 54(19): 3110-3121.
• Krzywda, S., M. Jaskolski, K. Rolka and  M. J. Stawikowski  (2014). Structure of a proteolytically resistant analogue of (NLys)5SFTI-1 in complex with trypsin: evidence for the direct participation of the Ser214 carbonyl group in serine protease-mediated proteolysis.  Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 70(Pt 3): 668-675.
•  Stawikowski, M. J., B. Aukszi, R. Stawikowska, M. Cudic and G. B. Fields (2014). Glycosylation modulates melanoma cell alpha2beta1 and alpha3beta1 integrin interactions with type IV collagen.  J Biol Chem 289(31): 21591-21604.

Awards and Recognition

• Early Career Reviewer Program Participant at the Center for Scientific Review, NIH, 2016 - present