20240826

Darian Yang, a student in the MBSB Program, successfully defended his thesis on August 26th to complete his Ph.D. The title of his presentation and thesis is “Invisible Protein States and How to View Them: Integrating ¹⁹F NMR and Weighted Ensemble Simulations”. Darian performed this research under the co-supervision of Prof. Angela Gronenborn in the Department of Structural Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Prof. Lillian Chong in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Darian developed force field parameters for fluorinated amino acids and characterized an alternate state of the HIV-1 capsid protein CTD dimer using weighted ensemble simulations and NMR spectroscopy. Combining such experimental and computational approaches is crucial for advancing the boundaries of knowledge within biophysics. Darian will begin a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Prof. Kresten Lindorff-Larson at the University of Copenhagen and plans to continue a career in scientific research.

Congratulations, Darian

Please check the student and faculty websites;
http://www.mbsb.pitt.edu/index.php/site-map/articles/81-faculty/146-lillian-chong
http://www.mbsb.pitt.edu/index.php/site-map/articles/81-faculty/156-angela-gronenborn
http://www.mbsb.pitt.edu/index.php/site-map/articles/85-students/290-darian-yang 

By MBSB.

20231004 

Congratulations to Dr. Deiters!

He received the 2023 Pittsburgh Award of American Chemical Society. Congratulations.

https://pittsburghacs.org/congratulations-to-the-2023-pittsburgh-award-recipient-dr-alexander-deiters/

We do not need to explain his excellent research here, because he just gave a talk in the MBSB seminar on Sep 21. We all enjoyed his talk. A good timing.

Faculty Page

By MBSB.

20240809

Ari Selzer, a student in the MBSB Program, successfully defended his thesis on August 9th to complete his Ph.D. The title of his presentation and thesis is “Allosteric Modulation of Src-Family Kinases in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Harnessing Natural Mechanisms of Kinase Regulation to Develop Novel Therapeutics”. Ari performed this research under the supervision of Prof. Thomas Smithgall in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His project combined multiple biophysical approaches to better understand small molecule modulation of a cancer-associated kinase, including x-ray crystallography, protein NMR, and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. Ari will begin a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Catherine Drennan at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/HHMI later this fall and plans to follow a career in academic research.\\

Congratulations, Ari!

Please check the student and faculty websites;

https://www.mbsb.pitt.edu/index.php/site-map/articles/85-students/282-ari-selzer

https://www.mbsb.pitt.edu/index.php/site-map/articles/81-faculty/185-thomas-smithgall

By MBSB.

20230831

Mr. Zikri Hasanbasri, a Ph.D. student in the MBSB Program, successfully passed his oral defense on August 31st and completed his Ph.D. The title of his dissertation talk was “A Structural Biologist Walks Into A Bar and Asks the Physical Chemist: How Can Copper Measure Distances In A Protein?”. Zikri perfromed this research under the supervision of Prof. Sunil Saxena in the Department of Chemistry at University of Pittsburgh. Prof. Saxena introduced him to pulsed-EPR spectroscopy. When combined with site-directed spin labels, pulsed-EPR can obtain sparse distance constraints within a protein. These distance constraints complement traditional structural techniques as the measurements are done in solution without size limitations. Zikri’s work centered around distance measurements using rigid Cu(II) labels that provide high-resolution structural constraints and Trityl-based labels that enable measurements in cellular environments. His work explored and developed the foundational theory in order to reduce the experimental signal acquisition time of Cu(II) measurements by more than 6-fold. Furthermore, he developed Trityl-based labels to enable in-cell examination of protein structure and dynamics under conditions that significantly reduce the cryogenic requirement for distance measurements. Overall, Zikri’s works expands the accessibility of powerful spin-labels for distance measurements for the wider scientific community. He will continue to develop his EPR knowledge and skillset beyond distance constraints at UC Davis under the mentorship of David Britt.

Congratulations, Zikri!

Please check the student and faculty websites;
https://www.mbsb.pitt.edu/index.php/site-map/articles/85-students/271-zikri-hasanbasri
https://www.mbsb.pitt.edu/index.php/site-map/articles/81-faculty/184-sunil-saxena 

By MBSB.