Graduate Student, Biology
BA Neuroscience, 2016, Boston University, Boston MA
My research interest is on the 5' splice site, one of the key sequence elements in splicing, and surrounds understanding the regulatory principles governing 5' splice site selection. Splicing is a crucial step in gene expression that involves the removal of introns and the joining of exons to produce mature mRNA. The process is catalyzed by the spliceosome, a complex of proteins and RNA molecules, and requires precise recognition of specific sequences in pre-mRNA. Aberrant splicing can lead to diseases such as cancer, making it important to understand the factors that regulate this process. Furthermore, recent work indicates small molecules can be designed to target specific 5’ splice site sequences, indicating small molecule regulation of splicing is a viable therapeutic strategy to modulate gene expression. During my PhD, I aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate the 5' splice site recognition and to identify new splicing modulators that will be useful therapeutically.
During my PhD research, I made an exciting discovery regarding the regulation of 5' splice sites and found evidence that humans possess two distinct classes of 5' splice sites that are differentially regulated by members of the LUC7 family of RNA binding proteins.
In addition to my research, I am also an Associate of MIT Biotech Group’s Entrepreneurship Initiative and an instructor for MIT Glass Lab. In my free time, I enjoy exploring Boston/Cambridge, rock climbing and spending as much time outdoors as possible.