Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2009

Mentor: Nick Grishin, Ph.D.
Department: Biochemistry
Room number: ND 10.124
Mail Code: 9050
Phone number: 214-645-5952
E-mail: grishin@chop.swmed.edu
Project title: Development of novel and improved computational methods for protein fold prediction

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): n/a

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): n/a

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) Basic Research

Brief Description of Project:
The student will:
" Complete a short tutorial on ROSETTA protein structure modeling and its applications in performing computational biochemistry research.
" Perform a directed literature review of current methods being used to make protein structure predictions and verify their accuracy.
" Propose a new method for making a structural prediction and/or evaluating the goodness of a prediction that has been made. This proposal will be made in collaboration with Dr. Grishin to assure that the method is novel and feasible to implement within the allotted 10 week research rotation.
" Implement the proposed method using ROSETTA protein structure modeling.
" Use a database of protein sequences and known structures to verify the validity of the implemented method for structure prediction and/or evaluation.
" Prepare and deliver a presentation of his refined prediction method and its results at the final lab meeting of the summer.
" Create a manuscript detailing his literature review, the method that was chosen and why, and the results obtained when that prediction method was implemented with ROSETTA.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
Holladay NB, Kinch LN, N.V. Grishin (2007) "Optimization of linear disorder predictors yields tight association between crystallographic disorder and hydrophobicity". Protein Science, 16(10):2140-52