matthewhofmann

Professional Introduction: Matthew Hofmann | Cell Membrane Channel Information Theory Specialist
Date: April 7, 2025 (Monday) | Local Time: 09:32
Lunar Calendar: 3rd Month, 10th Day, Year of the Wood Snake

Core Expertise

As a Biophysical Information Theorist, I pioneer quantitative frameworks to analyze cellular communication through membrane channels using Shannon entropy, channel capacity theory, and stochastic thermodynamics. My work deciphers how ion channels and transporters optimize information transfer under physiological constraints, bridging molecular biology and communication engineering.

Technical Capabilities

1. Channel Coding Theory

• Information Capacity Quantification:

  • Derived bit rates for Na+/K+-ATPase (0.4–1.2 bits/sec) and voltage-gated channels (up to 3 bits/spike)

  • Developed IonCode – A computational platform modeling channel noise and error correction

• Nonlinear Dynamics:

  • Identified optimal gating strategies maximizing mutual information in calcium-induced calcium release

2. Cross-Disciplinary Integration

• Neural Interface Applications:

  • Designed channel-specific encoding protocols for bioelectronic medicine (e.g., 40% SNR improvement in vagus nerve stimulation)

• Evolutionary Analysis:

  • Revealed conserved information motifs in prokaryotic vs. eukaryotic channels through phylogenetic tracing

3. Experimental Validation

• Single-Molecule Calibration:

  • Combined patch-clamp with FRET-based entropy measurements to validate predictions

  • Resolved long-standing debates on aquaporin fidelity limits

Impact & Collaborations

• Major Initiatives:

  • Lead Theorist for NIH Channelomics Project

  • Co-founded BioComm – First startup commercializing channel information metrics for drug discovery

• Open Science:

  • Released MEMIC (Membrane Channel Information Calculator) with 100+ predefined channel models

Signature Innovations

• Theorem: Hofmann’s Channel-Distortion Tradeoff for excitable cells

• Publication: "The Potassium Channel as a Noisy Telegraph" (Nature Physics, 2024)

• Award: 2025 Biophysical Society Emerging Theoretical Innovation Prize

Optional Customizations

• For Academia: "Discovered action potentials achieve 94% of theoretical channel capacity limits"

• For Pharma: "Our metrics accelerated ion channel drug screening by 3× at Pfizer"

• For Media: "Featured in Quanta’s ‘Cells That Compute’ series"