Protein phase transitions in health and disease

Proteins are able to access a number of different states, some connected with
biological function and others associated with malfunction. This talk explores
experimental and theoretical analysis of the rates at which proteins can undergo
such transitions, focusing on the liquid condensate and solid amyloid phase of
proteins. We will discuss a number of examples where the study of kinetics gives
insights into the fundamental molecular mechanisms that underlie protein phase
transitions. Many of these mechanisms draw on soft condensed matter concepts and phenomena. Condensate modulation will be discussed both from the point of view of ameliorating malfunction as well as in the context of developing a platform to generate responsive soft materials.