Characterization of the Non-Covalent Interactions of Propofol Using Mass Resolved Spectroscopy

by Prof. José A. Fernández (The University of the Basque Country, Spain)

Wednesday 19 Feb 2014, 14:30 → 15:30 Asia/Kolkata

AG-69 (Colaba Campus)

Propofol is probably the most widely used anaesthetic and became sadly famous several years ago as the cause of dead of the pop star Michael Jackson. The molecule exerts its action by docking on the GABA_A receptors in the central nervous system. But why does it like to interact with the receptor, and how is its trip until it reaches the active site? Using a combination of laser spectroscopy and quantum mechanical calculations, under a reductionist approach, we will try to shed light on the forces that govern such odyssey.