Welcome to the Cooke Lab at UCSF!

The Cooke Lab studies muscle and other motor proteins. Our goal is to determine how muscles and biological motors produce force and motion. Knowledge gained from our research helps pharmaceutical companies develop drugs that alter muscle contractility such as those used to treat heart disease and hypertension.

The Cooke Lab uses biophysical, biochemical and physiological techniques. We specialize in:

     - Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Fluorescence studies on         the mechanism of action of motor proteins: myosin and kinesin

     - Single muscle fiber experiments conducted on a tensiometer

     - Organic synthesis of spin labels, caged nucleotides and         fluorescent molecules

     - Studies of the mechanism of thermogenesis in skeletal muscle