Biological and chemical physics. Experimental and theoretical study of phase transitions in concentrated aqueous protein solutions, in micellar and microemulsion solutions, and in lipid monolayers and bilayers. Physical and chemical basis of protein condensation diseases including cataract and sickle cell disease. Light scattering, X-ray scattering, neutron scattering and computational studies of complex fluids. Light scattering methods for early detection and quantitation of cataract.

Current Research:

In cataract, the leading cause of blindness worldwide, concentrated mixtures of eye lens proteins can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation, and can also aggregate so as to scatter light, clouding the lens and degrading vision. Chemical inhibition of the responsible interprotein interactions could, in principle, delay visual impairment from cataract. To make an informed search for cataract inhibitors, it is important to understand the molecular basis of eye lens protein solution phenomena.

My current aims are to help develop the needed basic understanding of realistically concentrated fluid mixtures of eye lens proteins, including their phase transitions, equations of state, light scattering, and aggregation kinetics. My colleagues and I are using static and quasielastic light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering and neutron scattering, Monte-Carlo simulation, and statistical thermodynamic models to develop this understanding.

Selected Refereed Publications::

Blankschtein D, Thurston GM, Benedek GB, Theory of Phase Separation in Micellar Solutions, Phys. Rev. Letts. 54, 955-958 (1985)

Thurston GM, Blankschtein D, Fisch MR, Benedek GB, Theory of Thermodynamic Properties and Phase Separation of Micellar Solutions with Lower Consolute Points, J. Chem. Phys. 84, 4558-4562 (1986)

Blankschtein D, Thurston GM Benedek GB, Phenomenological Theory of Equilibrium Properties and Phase Separation of Micellar Solutions, J. Chem. Phys. 85, 7268-7288 (1986)

Thomson JA, Schurtenberger P, Thurston GM, Benedek GB, Binary Liquid Phase Separation and Critical Phenomena in a Protein-Water Solution, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 7079-7083 (1987)

Schurtenberger P, Chamberlin RA, Thurston GM, Thomson JA, Benedek GB, Observation of Critical Phenomena in a Protein-Water Solution, Phys. Rev. Letts. 63, 2064-2067 (1989)

Cohen DE, Thurston GM, Chamberlin RA, Benedek GB, Carey MC, Laser light scattering evidence for "worm-like" mixed micelles in cholanoyl (bile salt) and acyl (octylglucoside) detergent-long chain phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) aqueous systems: New insights on the structure of bile, Biochemistry 37, 14798-14814 (1998).

Benedek, GB, Pande, J, Thurston GM, Clark JI, Theoretical and Experimental Basis for the Inhibition of Cataract, Progress in Retinal and Eye Research 18, 391-402 (1999).

Blankschtein D, Thurston GM, Benedek GB, Theory of Phase Separation in Micellar Solutions, Phys. Rev. Letts. 54, 955-958 (1985)

Thurston GM, Blankschtein D, Fisch MR, Benedek GB, Theory of Thermodynamic Properties and Phase Separation of Micellar Solutions with Lower Consolute Points, J. Chem. Phys. 84, 4558-4562 (1986)

Blankschtein D, Thurston GM Benedek GB, Phenomenological Theory of Equilibrium Properties and Phase Separation of Micellar Solutions, J. Chem. Phys. 85, 7268-7288 (1986)

Thomson JA, Schurtenberger P, Thurston GM, Benedek GB, Binary Liquid Phase Separation and Critical Phenomena in a Protein-Water Solution, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 7079-7083 (1987)

Schurtenberger P, Chamberlin RA, Thurston GM, Thomson JA, Benedek GB, Observation of Critical Phenomena in a Protein-Water Solution, Phys. Rev. Letts. 63, 2064-2067 (1989)

Cohen DE, Thurston GM, Chamberlin RA, Benedek GB, Carey MC, Laser light scattering evidence for "worm-like" mixed micelles in cholanoyl (bile salt) and acyl (octylglucoside) detergent-long chain phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) aqueous systems: New insights on the structure of bile, Biochemistry 37, 14798-14814 (1998).

Benedek, GB, Pande, J, Thurston GM, Clark JI, Theoretical and Experimental Basis for the Inhibition of Cataract, Progress in Retinal and Eye Research 18, 391-402 (1999).

Selected Recent Abstracts:

Thurston GM, Statistical thermodynamics of linkage between light scattering, phase separation and protein species partitioning in concentrated mixtures of alpha and gamma crystallins. International Congress of Eye Research, 2000

Thurston GM, Lurio L. Mochrie S., Pande J., Ogun O and Benedek GB, X-ray scattering from concentrated ternary mixtures of bovine ? and ?B crystallins Invest. Ophthalmol. and Vis. Sci. 41: (4) (2000)

Thurston GM, Pande J, Ogun O and Benedek, GB, Static and quasielastic light scattering and phase separation of concentrated ternary mixtures of bovine alpha and gamma B Crystallins Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 40: (4) S299 (1999)