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Dr. Surya Pratap Deopa, Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of JILA Fellow and MCDB Professor Tom Perkins, has been honored with the 2025 BioFrontiers Outstanding Contribution Award.

When it comes to drug development, membrane proteins play a crucial role, with about 50% of drugs targeting these molecules. Understanding the function of these membrane proteins, which connect to the membranes of cells, is important for designing the next line of powerful drugs. To do this, scientists study model proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin (bR), which, when triggered by light, pump protons across the membrane of cells.

This year, JILA celebrates its 60th anniversary. Officially established on April 13, 1962, as a joint institution between the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), JILA has become a world leader in physics research. Its rich history includes three Nobel laureates, groundbreaking work in laser development, atomic clocks, underlying dedication to precision measurement, and even competitive sports leagues. The process of creating this science goliath was not always straightforward and took the dedication and hard work of many individuals.

JILA Fellow Thomas Perkins has been awarded the 2021 Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award. This award recognizes mentors who have gone above and beyond to support their postdocs. Perkins was nominated by postdoc David Jacobson, who praised Perkins' effort to help Jacobson apply and receive the prestigious NIH K99 “Pathway to Independence” Award.

JILA Fellow Graeme Smith also won the 2021 Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award, being nominated by ���Ҵ�ý�ƽ������ postdoc Vikesh Siddhu and former ���Ҵ�ý�ƽ������ postdoc, Felix Leditzky. Leditzky said Smith “played an integral part in guiding me through the process and helping me achieve this career goal. I aim to pay forward the trust and support that I received from him.”

In a new paper, JILA physicist Thomas Perkins collaborated with CU Biochemistry Prof. Marcello Sousa to dissect the mechanisms of how certain bacteria become more virulent. The research brings together the Perkins lab expertise in single-molecule studies and the Sousa lab expertise in the type III secretion system, a key component of Salmonella bacteria.

A protein's function within a cell relies on how it folds, unfolds, and refolds. Using atomic force microscopy tools, the Perkins Group can precisely measure the free energy it takes to unfold and refold a few amino acids in the protein, which opens the door to making more precise measurements and alterations to a cell's membrane proteins.

Researchers at JILA have developed a fast, simple method to prepare samples that enhances DNA imaging. The results are so clear that the double-helix shape of DNA can be seen clearly.

Dr. Thomas Perkins won a Gears of Government Award for his work in atomic force microscopy.

JILA researchers have demonstrated a much easier, faster and more precise way to understand the structure and function of the HIV RNA molecule, especially the HIV RNA hairpin. Furthermore, the techniques developed for this research promise to allow a wider range of users to study similar biological molecules, as they are built upon commercially available and user-friendly atomic force microscopes, or AFMs.

JILA Fellow Tom Perkins has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Perkins was elected for his pioneering advances in high-resolution studies of single biological molecules.