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Understanding NEIL1-RPA binding at the intersection of DNA repair and replication

Aug. 23, 2024—Reactive oxygen species damage DNA through the oxidation of bases and can result in a variety of diseases such as cancer, accelerated aging, and neurodegeneration. Single-strand DNA, which exists transiently during replication, is especially sensitive to reactive oxygen species. Oxidized bases are readily repaired by the base excision repair (BER) pathway, but incomplete repair during...

**Hitting A. baumannii where it hurts: novel insights into DNA repair pathways as therapeutic targets**

Aug. 9, 2024—Acinetobacter baumannii is a hospital-acquired human pathogen that can result in serious infections of the blood, wounds, lungs, and urinary tract. These infections are further complicated by rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance in this organism, making A. baumannii the fifth leading cause of antimicrobial resistance-associated deaths globally. There is, therefore, an urgent need for novel...

CSB Research Faculty Profile: Mintu Chandra

Aug. 7, 2024—Mintu Chandra, PhD, is a research assistant professor in the Biological Sciences department and currently works in the Jackson lab. Experiments in the lab allow him to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge, but he also finds inspiration from his experiments in the kitchen. Meet Mintu … What project are you currently working on?...

NMR facility awarded S10 grant

Jul. 25, 2024—Congratulations to the Vanderbilt Biomolecular NMR Facility (VUBNMR) staff on the successful submission and approval of an National Institute of Health (NIH) S10 grant application for the purchase of a new 800 MHz NMR spectrometer. The new instrument replaces the existing spectrometer, installed 25 years ago, which was one of the first 800 MHz NMR...

CSB Research Faculty Profile: Elwood Mullins

Jun. 21, 2024—Elwood Mullins, PhD, is a research assistant professor in the Biological Sciences department and currently works in the Eichman lab. While he understands the key to a cohesive lab environment, his work-life balance might be a little off. Meet Elwood … What project are you currently working on? I’m currently studying eukaryotic DNA replication, specifically...

Research Spotlight: Fesik Lab

Jun. 14, 2024—Fesik Lab: BI-0474 Researchers from the lab of Stephen Fesik, Orrin H. Ingram II Chair in Cancer Research, have added BI-0474 as the second molecule co-discovered by Vanderbilt to the open science portal opnMe.com, an initiative being driven by biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Read more on the Basic Sciences website.

Putting the fun back in antifungals: new insights into Acanthamoeba drug targets

Jun. 7, 2024—Acanthamoeba is a genus of free-living pathogenic protozoa found ubiquitously in the environment. In humans, acanthamoeba can cause diseases such as blinding keratitis, an infection of the eye, or granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE), a generally fatal infection of the brain and spinal cord. Antifungals which target the biosynthesis of fungal sterols, such as ergosterol, are...

Iverson named Associate Dean for Faculty

Jun. 4, 2024—Tina Iverson, Louise B. McGavock Professor and professor of pharmacology and biochemistry, has been named School of Medicine Basic Sciences Associate Dean for Faculty to be effective July 1. In addition to her professorships, Iverson is an active member of the Center for Structural Biology and the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation. Her...

STOP the GAP: new cryo-ET package aims to fill in the missing wedge

May. 31, 2024—Traditional cryogenic electron microscopy relies on imaging proteins frozen in a monolayer of vitrified ice. Subsequent single particle analysis compiles images of the protein in different orientations and outputs a 3D reconstruction. Unfortunately, if proteins overlap or favor a specific orientation, a high-resolution structure cannot be determined. Cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) addresses some of these...

Remote Access Crystallography at SSRL workshop

May. 21, 2024—Jamaine Davis, Meharry Medical College, is hosting an in-person workshop on Remote Access Crystallography at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) on the campus of Meharry Medical College on Friday, May 24, 2024, 9am–3pm. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) provides state-of-the-art facilities for structural biology research to the academic research community. All SSRL crystallography beam...

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