Biochemistry

Aug. 24, 2017

Peter V. Cornish

Research in our laboratory is primarily focused on understanding the complexities of ribosome function using a variety of biophysical methods including NMR and single molecule techniques. One of our projects is in understanding translational regulation in particular the mechanism of recoding where the ribosome shifts reading frame due to the presence of specific structures within the mRNA. Recoding has been observed in all forms of life and has been shown to be essential for the viability of many viruses including HIV-1 and SARS coronavirus. We are also contributing to the ongoing effort of developing antiviral small molecules that specifically target…

Aug. 24, 2017

Donald H. Burke

Educational background Ph.D., Molecular Biology/Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley B.A., Chemistry and Biology, University of Kansas Research areas Ribozyme mechanism and evolution and the origin of life; antiviral nucleic acid aptamers and the molecular basis of drug resistant HIV-1. Research description Whether we are thinking about the Origin of Life, about the Molecular mechanisms of Viral Pathogenesis, or about RNA-based therapeutics, three kinds of questions underly our work: 1) What can nucleic acids do? 2) How do their sequences and structures relate to their ability to do it? and 3) Can we engineer new biologies by expressing artificial RNAs in…

Jan. 6, 2017

Shari Freyermuth

Education background Ph.D., Duke University B.S., University of Georgia…