L. Keith Henry, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Project: Computational modeling of interactions between psychoactive drugs and transporters
Mentor: L. Keith Henry, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Location: Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Description: Students will learn to generate 3D structures of small molecules such as antidepressants and drugs of abuse and then more complex 3D models of proteins such as the serotonin and dopamine transporters in different conformational states. With the small molecule and the protein structures in hand, students will computationally refine the proteins followed by in silico docking to identify sites on the protein where the small molecules bind. These results can help us understand the new compounds we have generated and how they may represent molecules with clinical promise. Students will learn how to write UNIX and Pymol scripts to perform data analysis and generate structural models. The students will be introduced to biochemical, pharmacological, molecular and computational principles and methodologies which will benefit them no matter which path they choose in the future graduate careers.
Project: Epigenetic changes induced by exposure to antidepressants
Mentor: L. Keith Henry, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Location: Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Description: The project will focus on identification of epigenetic changes that occur after exposure to antidepressants. Numerous animal studies now show that antidepressant exposure in early life leads to long-lasting physiological and behavior effects. Our primary goal is to identify the molecular and epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation and histone modifications that underlie this reprogramming. We utilize modern next-generation sequencing technologies and advanced molecular techniques.
