Dr. Mikhail Kibalchenko
Research Scientist
Dr. Kibalchenko
Purpose
Atomic interactions, quantum mechanics and disease.
I am developing and applying novel quantum mechanical methodologies using world's fastest supercomputers to help solve important biological problems. The complexity of problems I have worked with spans elucidation of atomic structure in optics to understanding carbon nanotubes to currently solving toxicity in proteins within our brains that lead to Alzheimer's disease:
- Optics: determination of atomic structure in infinitely disordered materials for use in active and passive optics such as flash memory technologies.
- Drug Delivery: obtaining fundamental properties of carbon nanotubes for targeted drug delivery within our bodies.
- Neurology: identifying and preventing the formation of proteins that cause toxicity in our brains that lead to Alzheimer's disease.
Primary Research
Using quantum mechanics to cure Alzheimer's disease.
I am working on the identification of specific interactions between atoms that lead to the production of toxic clumps resulting in Alzheimer's disease. The impact of this work to those suffering from Alzheimer's could be immense (see infographic below) because the ability to target drugs precisely to those atoms responsible for disease dramatically increases the likelihood of an effective cure.
Additional Research
Quantum mechanics, rigid motion movements and mitochondrial carrier proteins.
I have ongoing collaborations with the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit in Cambridge, UK to understand how the ADP/ATP mithochondrial carrier protein works.
Publications
2016
7. PDF The transport mechanism of the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier.E.R.S. Kunji, A. Aleksandrova, M.S. King, H. Majd, V.L. Ashton, E. Cerson, R. Springett, M. Kibalchenko, S. Tavoulari, P.G. Crichton, J.J. RuprechtBiochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research (2016) doi:10.1016/j.bbamcr.2016.03.015 |
2015
6. PDF Inhibiting amyloid β-protein assembly: Size-activity relationships among grape seed-derived polyphenols.E.Y. Hayden, G. Yamin, S. Beroukhim, B. Chen, M. Kibalchenko, L. Jiang, L. Ho, J. Wang, G. M. Pasinetti, D. B. TeplowJournal of Neurochemistry (2015) doi:10.1111/jnc.13270 |
2011
5. PDF Structural composition of first-neighbor shells in GeSe2 and GeSe4 glasses from a first-principles analysis of NMR chemical shifts.M. Kibalchenko, J.R. Yates, C. Massobrio, A. PasquarelloJournal of Physical Chemistry C 115, (2011), 7755–7759 doi:10.1021/jp201345e |
4. PDF Magnetic response of single-walled carbon nanotubes induced by an external magnetic field.M. Kibalchenko, M.C. Payne, J.R. YatesACS Nano Vol. 5, No. 1 (2011), 537–545 doi:10.1021/nn102590b |
2010
3. PDF Distinguishing hydrogen bonding networks in alpha-D-galactose using NMR experiments and first principles calculations.M. Kibalchenko, D. Lee, L. Shao, M. C. Payne, J. J. Titman, J. R. YatesChemical Physics Letters 498 (2010) 270–276 doi:10.1016/j.cplett.2010.08.077 |
2. PDF Structural assignments of NMR chemical shifts in GexSe{1-x} glasses through first principles calculations for GeSe2, Ge4Se9, and GeSe crystals.M. Kibalchenko, J. R. Yates, C. Massobrio, A. PasquarelloPhysical Review B (Rapid Communications) 82 (2010) 020202 doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.82.020202 |
1. PDF First principles investigation of the relation between structural and NMR parameters in vitreous GeO2.M. Kibalchenko, J.R. Yates, A. PasquarelloJournal of Physics: Condensed Matter 22 (2010) 145501 doi:10.1088/0953-8984/22/14/145501 |
Employment
I carried out research in the UK, Switzerland and currently in the US.
| 2013-2016 | University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USAResearch Scientist at the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Research at UCLA.Advisor: Prof D Teplow. |
| 2010-2012 | Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UKPost-doctoral Research Associate in the Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Cavendish Laboratory.Advisor: Prof M C Payne FRS.  |
| 2010 | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), SwitzerlandPost-doctoral Researcher in the School of Basic Sciences, Institute of Theoretical Physics.Advisor: Prof A Pasquarello. 
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| 2010 | Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UKEPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellow in the Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Cavendish Laboratory.Advisor: Prof M C Payne FRS. |
Education
I obtained degrees from London and Cambridge, UK.
| 2006-2010 | Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UKPhD in Physics in the Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Cavendish Laboratory.Thesis title: "Applications of first principles NMR calculations." Prof M C Payne FRS as supervisor. |
| 2002-2006 | Imperial College London, UKMSci in Physics with a Year in Europe, 1st class honours. Masters project was completed abroad at EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.Thesis title: "Statistical study of the errors arising from plasma reconstruction." 
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About
I am passionate about innovating in science and technology to solve important biological problems. I enjoy extreme sports and try to be active on a daily basis. I am also a huge fan of art. I have an art studio in Los Angeles, CA where in my spare time I like to paint.
mikhail @ cantab.net k