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Research opportunity advances student
toward his professional goals
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Evan Delgado and Igor
Lednev |
Research is a vital part of the University at Albany
undergraduate experience. Research stimulates critical
thinking, encourages experimentation and promotes
intellectual accomplishment. Abundant opportunities
exist for students to partner with faculty researchers
in a variety of disciplines—from the arts to the social
sciences to the nanoscale sciences. Here is one such
example:
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Evan
Delgado |
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Evan Delgado
Bloomingburg,
NY
University Scholars Program
Biochemistry
and molecular biology major
Professional goals: to work in
bio-nanotechnology
Quote:
This research opportunity opened my
eyes to the capabilities of the University's research
facilities and faculty. It motivated me to continue to
produce results while conducting research and to have it
published as a scientific reference.
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Igor
Lednev |
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Igor Lednev, faculty
mentor
Department
of Chemistry
Research:
Professor Igor Lednev's research focuses on the
development and application of novel laser spectroscopic
methods for biological and chemical studies. His
innovative contributions include building the first
nanosecond time-resolved ultraviolet Raman spectrometer
combined with a temperature-jump technique for protein
folding studies, applying, for the first time, two-color
diffuse-reflectance flash photolysis for characterizing
fast reactions on the surface, and developing a
non-invasive glucose sensor for diabetes. He has
co-authored more than 70 research papers, and received
two patents. Professor Lednev received the Research
Innovation Award in 2003. His research group develops
and applies a novel deep UV Raman spectroscopic
methodology for studying amyloid fibril formation,
intracellular signaling processes, and ligand-metal
complexes of lanthanides and actinides. He earned his
Ph.D from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
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Evan Delgado and Igor
Lednev |
Evan's Research Project:
Modern Spectroscopic
Techniques
The understanding of
structural aspects of protein-small molecule
interactions is important for efficient drug discovery.
Our laboratory develops and utilizes a novel methodology
based on the most advanced laser spectroscopy and
statistical analysis for structural characterization of
proteins. In particular, we study the interaction of
calcium binding protein S100A12 with target proteins and
small molecule. S100A12 was reported to have
antimicrobial activity. It has been recently reported
that anti-allergic drug Cromolyn, which inhibits
Ig-E-mediated degranulation of mast cells, binds to
S100A12. Evan studied the mechanism of interaction
between Cromolyn and S100A12 using various spectroscopic
techniques with particular focus on the calcium
regulatory role.
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