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The Journal of the American Chemical Society, the pre-eminent journal for chemistry research, has published a paper coauthored by Yvonne Gindt and Tina Huang, assistant professors of chemistry, and chemistry major and Marquis Scholar Katie Thoren ’06 (Hebron, Conn.).
Thoren, who has presented her research at several national meetings of the American Chemical Society, also is conducting a yearlong honors thesis building on a collaboration with Gindt that could help develop methods of preventing diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Type II diabetes.
The Journal of the American Chemical Society article describes the researchers’ measurements on the DNA repair enzyme, DNA photolyase. The enzyme repairs the most common type of DNA damage caused by ultra-violet radiation, which is also the type of damage that causes skin cancer in humans, Gindt explains.
“The enzyme repairs the damage on the DNA strand using a light-driven electron transfer process,” Gindt says. “The presence of oxygen can inactivate the enzyme, but our results show that the binding of the enzyme to the damaged DNA strand actually protects the enzyme from being inactivated by oxygen. Our findings will have important implications on the mechanism by which the enzyme is able to carry out the repair.”
Thoren participated in the research through Lafayette’s EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
Biochemistry major and Marquis Scholar Frank Cortazar ’07 (Miami, Fla.) will expand upon the research, which was conducted in collaboration with Johannes Schelvis of the New York University chemistry department. The paper is the third produced by the collaboration in the last two years. The two earlier papers, published in The Journal of the American Chemical Society and Journal of Physical Chemistry, included work by coauthors Meghan Ramsey ’04(Lakeville, Minn.), a neuroscience major, Goldwater Scholar, and two-time ECAC Robbins Scholar-Athlete; Katelyn Connell ’04, a biochemistry major and recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; and Stacey Wagner ’03, a biochemistry major who coauthored five scientific journal publications on her undergraduate research.
“The work reflects a new and productive collaboration that has started between Tina Huang and myself,” says Gindt. “Tina and I will be combining our areas of expertise to study the effects of placing biological systems onto a surface – how will it modify protein structure and function? These results will contribute to our understanding of the efficacy and safety of using nanotubes for drug delivery.”
Students participating in these studies will include chemistry major and Trustee Scholar Matthew Coughlin ’07 (Boyertown, Pa.), biology major and Marquis Scholar Sandra Rodriguez ’08 (Mendham, N.J.), and chemistry major Bill McNamara ’06 (Scranton, Pa.).
Gindt’s research is supported by a $100,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health. Her work on protein folding and aggregation involves processes linked to a wide range of diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes mellitus, and emphysema. Her students have presented their research in a variety of forums in the last few years, including national American Chemistry Society meetings.
Along with James K. Ferri, assistant professor of chemical engineering, Huang received a $210,549 National Science Foundation grant that is enhancing undergraduate research and teaching capabilities in an area within the increasingly important field of nanotechnology, in which research is conducted and components are constructed on the molecular level.
Like Ramsey, Thoren is a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate award of its type in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering. Lafayette is No. 1 among the nation’s top liberal arts colleges in the number of Goldwater Scholarships in the last four years, with nine. Lafayette students have received 11 Goldwaters in the last six years.
Entering her senior year, Thoren had worked with Gindt for two years to study protein folding and aggregation. She is continuing her research in an honors thesis investigating the kinetics and thermodynamics of protein folding.
“This is a major area of research today because several diseases such as Alzheimer’s,
Type II diabetes, and Parkinson’s involve misfolded proteins,” she says. “Currently, little is understood about how proteins fold, but if we develop a basic understanding of this process, we can eventually develop drugs or therapies to prevent protein misfolding and the development of these diseases.”
Thoren is studying a protein from a type of cyanobacteria, or aquatic bacteria, called phycocyanin.
“This protein is easy to work with and has unique spectral characteristics that allow us to monitor its shape,” she says. “My project focuses on the smallest units of the protein, the alpha and beta subunits. I am trying to determine how much energy is involved in the folding or unfolding of the subunits and how fast these processes occur. This will help us determine what types of interactions are present in the proteins and possibly identify trends in how proteins misfold.”
“It has been exciting to see how my work has progressed over the two years,” she adds.
She notes that Gindt, her thesis adviser, was a big part of her decision to continue the research.
“Dr. Gindt is a highly qualified mentor because she has taught me excellent laboratory skills and has always challenged me in both class and lab,” Thoren says. “More importantly, however, she has helped me develop independence in my research. I have ownership of my project and I am free to decide what experiments I will do next and the direction of my research. This is an important skill, especially for graduate school, and I feel very prepared because of the research I’ve done with Dr. Gindt.”
Thoren credits Lafayette with providing an excellent environment for undergraduate research.
“Because Lafayette is a small school, students are able to develop close relationships with their professors and get involved in research early on,” she says. “The EXCEL program also plays a large part in facilitating undergraduate research. I don’t think I would have had as many opportunities if I went to a different school.”
Thoren says she chose her chemistry major because of the high quality of the professors in the department.
“Most of the chemistry classes are taught very well and I’ve gotten a lot out of them,” she says. “I think because of the faculty and amount of undergraduate research in the department, Lafayette is a good place to major in chemistry.”
Thoren is a member of the crew team and the campus chapter of American Chemical Society. She also serves as a general chemistry teaching assistant and was a chemistry tutor as a sophomore.
After graduating from Lafayette, Thoren would like to obtain a Ph.D. in biomedical research and then conduct research at a university hospital or pharmaceutical company with a focus on the science of human health.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Thirty-nine students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.
Chosen from among Lafayette’s most promising applicants, Marquis Scholars like Thoren receive a special academic scholarship and distinctive educational experiences and benefits, including a three-week, Lafayette-funded course abroad or in the United States during January’s interim session between semesters or the summer break. Marquis Scholars also participate in mentoring programs with Lafayette faculty and cultural activities in major cities and on campus.