Elijah Dunn Email and Phone Number

Studied intrinsically disordered linker region of Myocilin under Dr. Raquel Lieberman. Myocilin. Mutations in Myocilin lead to a toxic gain of function which produced Primary Open Angle Glaucoma, with leads to irreversible blindness. Skills Learned are:· Protein expression and purification, including the usage of FPLC and running gels· Basics of Protein NMR Skills

Studied Kynurenine Monooxygenase inhibitors under Dr. Robert Phillips to inhibit the KMO pathway in the metabolism of Tryptophan. This pathway leads to the formation of neurodegenerative products (Quinolinate and Picolinate), which have been linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Along with this, the inhibition of KMO will lead to a greater Kynurenate production through the Kynurenine Aminotransferase pathway. Kynurenate has been shown to be neuroactive as an anticonvulsant. Skill learned are:· Organic synthesis of Kynurenine Monooxygenase (KMO) inhibitors· Measurements of enzyme kinetics using UV-Vis assays, allowing for assessment of inhibitor effectiveness and building knowledge on the effective bioisosteres of that series of inhibitors· Usage of NMR to determine product identity, purity, and ratio of pure product to biproducts· Usage of column chromatography for product mixture separation· Usage of TLC plates to determine reaction progression