The Daily Bulletin

Please join the Chemistry and Physics departments for the seminar "From Murals to Minds: Finding the Spark within a Scientific Career," presented by alumna Jamie A. Abbott, B.A., B.S. '08, postdoctoral fellow in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, on Thursday, September 5, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Science and Mathematics Complex 176.

Abstract
My interest in chemistry—particularly for research—began as an undergraduate at Buffalo State College, working with Drs. Zeki Al-Saigh and Gregory Smith on the biophysical properties of polymers in biodegradable films and acrylic paints. I began to appreciate how physical properties and forces shape the behavior of these biomolecules. During my subsequent graduate training in the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Francklyn at the University of Vermont (UVM), this emerging research passion was focused toward understanding how physical forces guide biochemical and physiological processes. My thesis work at UVM focused on mechanisms of enzyme-RNA interactions and how mutations in the gene encoding histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HARS) contributed to two neurological diseases, Usher Syndrome IIIB (USH3B) and Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT). I used protein biochemistry, enzyme kinetics, and molecular biology approaches to characterize the human HARS enzyme and examine how perturbations in localized protein synthesis affected neuronal homeostasis. My results suggested that USH3B is unlikely to be a consequence of a simple loss of function, while HARS-linked CMT variants all share common catalytic defects. My research uncovered a clear link between functional dynamics of HARS proteins and human neuropathology, a notable example in which two different and complex human diseases arise from distinct mutations in the same parent gene.

Upon completion of my graduate work, my interest in the biophysical principles that guide brain function and dysfunction was fully realized, and I aimed to pursue postdoctoral work in synaptic physiology and ion channel function. In joining Dr. Gabriela Popescu’s lab at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, I now leverage the power of single-molecule electrophysiological approaches to understand activation mechanisms of neurotransmitter-gated channels, specifically the N-methyl-d- aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The critical importance of NMDA receptors in excitatory synapse homeostasis has driven the development of novel therapeutics to modulate their activity. My current research goal is to understand how the utility of ketamine specifically targeting NMDA receptors may lead to new treatments for mental health and neurological diseases, such as depression. This presentation is a synopsis of my research work since my undergraduate education at Buffalo State College.