Biochemistry

Research in this department covers basic questions that include how the immune response in mammals is regulated, how the maturation of retroviruses occurs, and what is the role of metal ions in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, research with direct clinical applications is being carried out such as the development of anticancer agents and the design of inhibitors of retroviral maturation. A wide range of techniques is applied by a number of groups to study the structure and function of proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. These studies utilize technologically sophisticated techniques such as NMR spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, electrospray mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography, to more traditional organic chemistry and physical chemistry approaches.

An, Songon
Understanding spatial and temporal regulation of cellular metabolic enzymes and their organization in cells

Bush, C. Allen
Biosynthesis and structures of glycoprotein oligosaccharides and bacterial antigenic polysaccharides.

Garcin, Elsa
Protein Chemistry and protein structure.

Karpel, Richard
Single-stranded DNA- and RNA-binding proteins: Kinetics and control of binding, and relationship of these properties to the regulation of DNA replication, repair and recombination.

Koirala, Deepak
RNA biochemistry, structure and function

Kyoung, Minjoung 
Understanding molecular underpinnings of how signaling pathways cross-talk with metabolic pathways in cancer cells by developing and applying novel bioanalytical and biophysical tools.

Smith, Aaron
Protein Translation, Posttranslational Modification, and Heme and Pathogenic Iron Uptake and Delivery