Experience

University of Utah

• Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

• Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. Candidate

  • Jun 2018 - Present

  Summary: As part of a phosphatase-oriented lab with Dr. Barrios, I aim to develop small molecule inhibitors and fluorogenic peptide substrates for the LAR family of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases (PTPs) and SHP-2. Phosphatases and Kinases work together to regulate post-translational phosphorylation of various proteins. The LAR family of PTPs is of particular interest due to their involvement in neurological development, stimulant addiction, insulin resistance, and cell regeneration. This research aims to develop and validate a chemical toolbox, already producing novel nanomolar small molecule inhibitors, to further study the LAR family and SHP-2 in cellular and animal studies. This work is ongoing and has resulted thus far in two publications with my contributions and several manuscripts in progress. Skills: This research has allowed me to cultivate extensive skills in enzymology and bioassay development using a fluorogenic reporter for phosphatase activity. I am highly proficient in collecting and analyzing IC50 curves, Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and time-dependent kinetics (covalent inhibitor development). For this project, I have also used organic synthesis and the associated skills (TLC, column chromatography, LCMS, 2D-NMR). This project is exceedingly multidisciplinary with multiple collaborators in organic synthesis, computational modeling (Amber), zebrafish models of opioid addiction, rat models of cocaine addiction, and pharmacokinetics. I am familiar with working with each of these disciplines and have generated interpersonal collaborative and writing skills. To validate lead compounds from this study, I have lastly become efficient with mammalian tissue culture (HEK293T cells), assay development, and western blot analysis of phosphorylated substrates.