Drs. Joseph Blasic and Richard Huang Awarded National Research Council Fellowships
Drs. Joseph Blasic and Richard Huang have been awarded National Research Council fellowships to support their postdoctoral work in the NIST group at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR), UM-Shady Grove. The mission of the NRC Research Associateship Programs (RAP) is to promote excellence in scientific and technological research conducted by the U. S. government through the administration of programs offering graduate, postdoctoral, and senior level research opportunities at sponsoring federal laboratories and affiliated institutions. The selection of candidates is highly competitive among the 28 federal agencies that participate in the program.
Dr. Blasic, who received his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will be working under the mentorship of Dr. Ella Mihailescu. His research plan is aimed at understanding the biochemical and structural basis for an important and diverse superfamily of cation channels, the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels that respond to a variety of sensory and chemical stimuli and are involved in mediating all five senses. Little is known about the transmembrane architecture of these channels in a lipid bilayer environment and how that architecture might correlate with function. The study will combine biochemical methods, including expression, purification and functional characterization, with structural analysis by neutron and X-ray scattering of the channel in a functionally relevant lipid membrane environment. Dr. Blasic's proposed research will advance new measurement technologies as part of the NIST Innovations in Measurement Science program in 'Neutrons in Biology'.
Dr. Richard Huang, who received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis, will be working under the mentorship of Dr. Jeffrey Hudgens. His research plan is aimed at using hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to study the effects of N- and O-linked glycosylation upon the dynamic structure (folding) of glycoproteins. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange profiles of proteins and glycoproteins provide accurate measures of the folding dynamics that direct protein function. Dr. Huang’s research aims to translate this knowledge of protein structure and dynamics into improved structural characterizations of glycan micro-heterogeneity. This knowledge will support determinations of biological similarity between an innovator therapeutic agent and a candidate biosimilar. His research falls under the NIST program in Biomanufacturing that aims to develop tools to support the development, manufacture and regulation of biopharmaceuticals.
About the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR)
The Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) is a University System of Maryland joint research enterprise created to enhance collaboration among the University of Maryland College Park, The University of Maryland Baltimore and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The mission of IBBR is to leverage collective research strengths of the partnering institutions in medicine, biosciences, technology, quantitative sciences and engineering, to foster integrated, cross-disciplinary team approaches to scientific discovery and education, and to serve the expanding economic base of biosciences and technology in the state of Maryland and the Nation.