Nathan Wittenberg

Associate Professor
(610) 758-3357
Seeley G. Mudd, Room 694
Research Interests: 
Analytical chemistry
Lipids and membranes
Biosensors
Microfluidics
Teaching Interests: 
Analytical chemistry
General chemistry
Advanced laboratory courses

The Wittenberg research group uses biosensors, microscopy, microfluidics, and surface patterning techniques to investigate interactions between biomolecules, in particular lipids and proteins. Research topics include the analysis of lipid-protein interactions that govern cell-cell interactions in the nervous system, the implications of lipid oxidation on biomembrane structure and properties, and the development of platforms for the analysis of individual membrane-bound biological particles. 

Selected Recent Publications:

A.M. Baxter, N.J. Wittenberg. Excitation of Fluorescent Lipid Probes Accelerates Supported Lipid Bilayer Formation via Photosensitized Lipid Oxidation. Langmuir 2019, 35, 11542 – 11549.

L.R. Jordan, M.E. Blauch, A.M. Baxter, J.L. Cawley, N.J. Wittenberg. Influence of Brain Gangliosides on Formation and Properties of Supported Lipid Bilayers. Colloids & Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 2019, 183, 110442.

Y-S. Ryu, H. Yun, T. Chung, J-H. Suh, S. Kim, K. Lee, N.J. Wittenberg, S-H. Oh, B. Lee, S-D. Lee. Kinetics of Lipid Raft Formation at Lipid Monolayer-Bilayer Junction Probed by Surface Plasmon Resonance. Biosens Bioelectron 2019, 142, 111568.

C. Lin, E.R. Stedronsky, L.R. Jordan, N.J. Wittenberg, S.L. Regen. A Plug and Socket Approach for Tightening Polyelectrolyte Multilayers. Chem Commun 2018, 54, 9769 – 9772.

M. Vala, L.R. Jordan, A.E. Warrington, L.J. Maher III, M. Rodriguez, N.J. Wittenberg, S-H. Oh. Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensing on Naturally Derived Membranes: A Remyelination-Promoting Human Antibody Binds Myelin with Extraordinary Affinity. Anal Chem 2018, 90, 12567 – 12573.

D. Rodrigo, A. Tittl, N. Ait-Bouziad, A. John-Herpin, O. Limaj, C. Kelly, D. Yoo, N.J. Wittenberg, S-H. Oh, H.A. Lashuel, H. Altug. Resolving Molecule-Specific Information in Dynamic Lipid Membrane Processes with Multi-Resonant Infrared Metasurfaces. Nature Communications 2018, 9, 2160.

Y-S. Ryu, L.R. Jordan, N.J. Wittenberg, S.M. Kim, D. Yoo, C. Jeong, A.E. Warrington, M. Rodriguez, S-H. Oh, S-D. Lee. Curvature Elasticity‐Driven Leaflet Asymmetry and Interleaflet Raft Coupling in Supported Membranes. Advanced Materials Interfaces 2018, 5, 1801290.

C.T. Ertsgaard, N.J. Wittenberg, D.J. Klemme, A. Barik, W-C. Shih, S-H. Oh. Integrated Nanogap Platform for Sub-Volt Dielectrophoretic Trapping and Real-Time Raman Imaging of Biological Nanoparticles. Nano Letters 2018, 18, 5946 – 5953.