Biocalorimetry Foundations and Contemporary Approaches

Connecting past, present, and future instrument development and use, Biocalorimetry: Foundations and Contemporary Approaches explores biocalorimetry?s history, fundamentals, methodologies, and applications. Some of the most prominent calorimeter developers and users share invaluable personal accounts of discovery, discussing innovative techniques as well as special and original applications. Wide in scope, the book also covers calorimetry use on membranes, nucleic acids, and proteins and addresses both thermodynamics and kinetics.

The book begins with a look at the historical development of calorimeters needed for biological research. It then describes advanced approaches that use high-quality commercial calorimeters to study biochemical and other biological processes. It also shows how novel experimental designs and data analysis procedures are applied to proteins, DNA, membranes, and living matter.

Introduction: Historical and Methodological Context. Membrane Characterization and Partition to Membranes. Nucleic Acids and Proteins: Stability and Their Interactions with Ligands. Calorimetry as a Tool in Applied Fields.

Margarida Bastos is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Porto, where she leads the biocalorimetry research group. She is a reviewer for many international journals and is involved with European community evaluation of research projects and international mobility grants. Having calorimetry as her main expertise, she has also been using other biophysical techniques, such as small angle x-ray diffraction (SAXD), neutron scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, microscopy (SEM, TEM, and confocal), to study antimicrobial peptide/membrane interactions, polymer/surfactant mixtures, hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds, and hydration of biopolymers. She earned a PhD in thermochemistry from Lund University.